


Somebody to Love

by PenguinMerchant



Series: Don't Stop Believin' [4]
Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Aina's POV, Burnish pride, Hijinks & Shenanigans, M/M, Text messaging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-02-24 17:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21821350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenguinMerchant/pseuds/PenguinMerchant
Summary: Choose your own "the crew finds out Lio and Galo are dating when they think they're just friends!"Option One: Aina knows that Galo is in love with Lio.  It's obvious, because Galo is never subtle about anything and he wears his heart on his sleeve.  The only problem is that Lio won't even give him the time of day, and the Burning Rescue team is convinced that Lio only sees him as a friend, if that.  So Aina resolves to fix that--she's going to make Lio see what a great guy Galo is, get them to fall in love, and then they'll be able to live happily ever after.The only problem is that Galo and Lio have been dating for eight months and are already madly in love with each other.  Hijinks ensue.Option Two: Burning Rescue 3 is forced to attend a team building seminar on a tropical island. Aina sees the whole endeavor as a chance to help Galo find someone to hookup with who will hopefully get his mind off of Lio, who obviously has no interest in him.  When Lio finds out what she's trying to do with his boyfriend of almost a year he sees an opportunity to make the weekend just a little more interesting.Of course it backfires for everyone involved.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Series: Don't Stop Believin' [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1539145
Comments: 61
Kudos: 519





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aina knows that Galo is in love with Lio. It's obvious, because Galo is never subtle about anything and he wears his heart on his sleeve. The only problem is that Lio won't even give him the time of day, and the Burning Rescue team is convinced that Lio only sees him as a friend, if that. So Aina resolves to fix that--she's going to make Lio see what a great guy Galo is, get them to fall in love, and then they'll be able to live happily ever after.
> 
> The only problem is that Galo and Lio have been dating for eight months and are already madly in love with each other. Hijinks ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in the end I couldn't decide which version of this I liked better! So now I've posted both. I figured more Galo/Lio wouldn't be a bad thing, in the end. Hope you guys enjoy both of them!

Aina Ardebit has always been good at solving problems. Even more than that; she _likes_ solving problems. It's what attracted her to piloting in the first place, since piloting in dangerous conditions was basically just a series of endless problems that she could set her mind to, could unravel and untangle as she used every tool at her disposal to save people and make their lives better.

She was definitely going to need every single one of those tools to fix the problem that was currently sitting in front of her.

“Should we order another one?” Galo Thymos asks her, looking dejectedly at the empty pizza plate in front of him.

Aina sighs deeply and closes her eyes. She knew that offering to pay for lunch was going to bite her in the ass, but it was imperative that she see Galo. Alone. And this was the only way she could think of to get him out of the firehouse without him dragging Lio along.

“I'm done eating.” She announces. “If you want another one, you have to pay for it.”

“ _You_ asked _me_ here.” He says, gesturing to the waiter to bring another. “It seems pretty rude to ask me to lunch, say you're going to pay and then cap me at just three pizzas.”

“ _Just_ three pizzas?” She says, annoyed. “That's more than most people eat in a week!”

“I'm not most people.” He says, smiling as the waiter sets down another fresh pizza in front of him. “It takes a lot of energy to get this bad boy up and running, you know.”

“I know. Listen. Galo. I brought you here for a reason.”

“Well it certainly wasn't to give me my full helping of pizza.” He says, stuffing another piece in his mouth.

Aina takes another deep breath, reminds herself that she does, actually, care for this person, despite him being a colossal ass right now, and that she has a job to do here. A problem to solve. A person to save.

“Galo. Listen. We were all really scared about what happened last week. I just wanted to see if you were okay.”

“What, you mean the cave thing?” He asks, frowning. “Yeah, it was seriously no big deal. We're both fine.”

“I know that's what you've been telling everyone.” She says. This would have to be a careful investigation; she knows that Galo's overprotective of Lio, and she knows that he's already lied at least once to protect him. She can't come right out and say what she's thinking without him getting all defensive, she knows. She has to let him come to the correct conclusion, make those logical leaps himself.

This was going to be a nightmare.

“I just kind of got the feeling that maybe everything wasn't exactly like you told people. Maybe there was something else going on in there that you're not telling.”

Galo is a terrible liar, and right now there is guilt written all over his face.

“Aina, I don't know if—”

“Hey, listen.” She says. She can see already the walls going back up, the defensiveness creeping back in. She's got to step back before he retreats too far. “I'm not judging, okay? And if you don't want to tell me anything, you don't have to. I just want you to know that I'm your friend, and I'm here for you, whatever is going on in your life. You're not alone.”

“I know that.” He says, cocking his head and regarding her solemnly. “Aina, are you okay?”

“I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about.”

“Why would you be worried about me?”

Okay, logical leaps were not going to happen. This was Galo after all, she was going to have to just lay it all out. Fine. She could do that. Time to stop beating around the bush.

“Ever since Lio joined our crew, you've been acting weird. Okay? He's been crashing on your couch for like a year even though he was supposed to get his own place by now, he's always whispering things to you that make you turn a million shades of red, you follow him around like a little lost puppy, you have all these weird bruises that I don't think are just from your training sessions...I just don't know what to think. I just need you to let me know if you're okay.”

Galo looks at her, a smile creeping across his face, and he starts laughing. Quietly, at first, and then louder and louder until the other patrons in the restaurant are sending both of them dirty looks. Aina doesn't see what's funny about anything she just said, and stares sullenly at him until he gets himself back under control.

“Oh Aina, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh.” He says, wiping tears from his eyes. “It's just...yes, I'm okay. I'm more than okay.” He turns serious for a moment. “Do you really think I follow him around like a puppy?”

“Oh my god, are you joking? Yes, you totally do. It's super obvious. To, like, everyone.”

"You think Lio notices?"

"He would have to be pretty blind not to."

Galo blushes fiercely, and Aina has to stop herself from rolling her eyes at him. Does he really not know how he comes across? He can't think that Lio hasn't noticed all of his unrelenting pining, can he?

“He's just...really cute.” Galo says finally. “I can't help it sometimes.”

Aina feels her heart drop. “Galo...”

“And he's so smart. He's like, the smartest person I've ever known. And he's so hot. And he's really nice, and he helps people who need help, and he cares about a lot of stuff I haven't even heard of, like pangolins, do you know what pangolins are? I didn't but they're going extinct and that makes him sad, which makes me sad. And he's really good at sword fighting. Also he's super hot, did I mention that?”

“Yes, Galo, you did.” Aina says, closing her eyes.

"And wait--do you really think I'm making Lio sleep on the couch?" He asks.

"I really don't need to know the specifics of your sleeping arrangements." She says, but mentally she knows that she owes Lucia $20. She should have known better than to figure that Galo wouldn't give up his bed for Lio. That's probably why he looked so tired all the time, he was sleeping on his own couch while Lio took the bed. This was worse than she thought. A crush—she could help him weather that. But this? This sounded serious. This sounded like—

—a major problem. Galo was in love with Lio, and Lio had never even shown the slightest interest in Galo like that. When they worked together Lio would barely give Galo the time of day, let alone act like he had any interest in being more than just friends. Plus there was that whole incident with the cave—Lio had been so mad after they were rescued, being stuck there with Galo for just twelve hours, and then there were those frankly worrisome check ins. So. That was the problem, as she saw it. The solution?

Aina has to get Lio to fall in love with Galo. Galo will then be happy; problem solved.

She looks over at Galo and smiles.

“Galo, you don't realize it yet but your luck's about to change.” She says.

"Uh, thanks?" Galo says, and Aina smiles.

******

<3Lio<3

Hey babe, you know how Aina

and I had lunch today?

Yeah. Don't tell me—she didn't buy you ten

pizzas like you wanted.

I mean no, she didn't, but that's not what I

wanted to tell you. She said it was weird that I

follow you around like a puppy everywhere.

It's not weird. It's adorable.

So you think so too!

I mean, it is kind of obvious. To everyone, probably.

I don't think it's obvious.

Well, you wouldn't. You're just an adorable puppy.

Hey!

What else did you talk about?

Not much. I did tell her that

I thought you were super hot.

No you didn't.

I absolutely did.

Galo, not everyone wants to hear

about how you're madly in love with me.

I think the whole world should hear how

madly in love with you I am.

Well, should and want are very different things.

Do _you_ want to hear it?

I absolutely do. I also want to do lots of

things to you that other people don't want to

hear about, and I'm not going to tell them

about it because I have boundaries.

Will you tell me?

I absolutely will. I'll tell you this first, though--

the radiator got stuck again and it's a million

degrees in here, and I'm wearing your FDPP

shirt and nothing else in a valiant effort to

keep cool, and I'm thinking of breaking out

the popsicles to cool down even more...

Holy fuck I'll be home in 5

Good boy.

****

It's been about five days since Aina had her lunch with Galo, and already her plans are falling apart around her. A few years ago, when the Burnish attacks were really bad, a Burnish flare had clipped her wing and stalled one of her engines. She barely managed to avoid crashing into the people she was trying to save, and eventually even Lucia gave up on fixing the plane and they ended up having to scrap the whole thing.

That was still a better situation than she was in now.

Remi, Lucia and Varys and her are all sitting at the pancake house down the street from the station. Varys has already got a plate stacked with at least ten pancakes, and it's not even his first one of the morning.

"Okay, so last night wasn't the greatest." She says to the assembled crew members.

"I would say that's a fairly optimistic assesment of what happened last night." Remi says.

"Okay, so where did we go wrong?"

"Well, five years ago I applied to the Burning Rescue division--"

"Stop it, Remi. I didn't mean your life, I meant our plan."

"You meant _your_ plan." Remi says. "I'm still not sure why we all agreed to it."

"Because she promised us pancakes!" Varys chimes in.

"Because you know she would hound us relentlessly until we agreed to help her." Lucia says.

Aina rubs her temples, trying to dissipate the headache she can feel starting up already. "Okay. Everyone stop. Let's go over everything again. From the beginning." She ignores the groans from the others. "When the four of us got to the bar, Lio and Galo were already there. Right?"

"Yes. Sitting in the back booth." Lucia says. "I have camera footage of the whole night, should we just watch that?"

"How did you--no, no camera footage. This is about feelings, Lucia, you can't just watch drone footage of everything, it's too impersonal. How would you guys say Lio was feeling?"

Varys takes a pause out of chowing down on his pancakes. "He seemed normal to me."

"So, slightly pissed off and barely tolerating the presence of others?" Remi supplies.

Varys nods. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"What does Galo like about him, exactly?" Lucia asks.

"It doesn't matter, all that matters is that he does. So, Lio seems normal. Galo seems normal."

"So, slightly horny and _loudly_ tolerating the presence of others?" Remi says.

"Shush, Remi. So, where do you guys think the night went wrong?"

The crew all sits in silence for a moment, thinking.

"I think it was when Galo put his arm around Lio." Lucia says finally. "That seemed to be the tipping point, I think."

"Yeah, I think she's right." Varys says. "Galo seemed pretty normal until then. Normal for him, at least. Then he did that, and Lio said something to him that turned him the color of an overripe tomato, and he was totally worked up and weird for the rest of the night."

"Do you guys think Lio threatened him?" Remi asks.

"It's possible." Aina admits. "Maybe he threatened him for touching him?"

"That's probably not a great sign that they'll be falling in love any time soon." Lucia says.

Remi leans forward in his seat. He usually hates getting involved in stuff like this, Aina knows, messy coworker relationship stuff, but he can't help but want to solve a puzzle when he comes across one, and this is most definitely a twisty puzzle. "Okay, so what about the part afterwards? You know, where Lio went home with some woman?"

"That's also probably not a great sign that they'll be falling in love soon." Lucia says.

"Wait, what happened?" Varys flags down the waitress for another batch of pancakes. "Was this after we got called away?"

Aina nods. She forgot that some of them hadn't witnessed what was arguably the worst part of the night, since half of them were on call and had to answer a late night emergency alarm.

"Yeah, you know that woman Lio was talking to earlier in the night? You guys probably saw, you were still there at that point. After you and Galo and Lucia left, Remi and I offered him a ride home and he said he was going to get a ride from her."

"Oooh, that's not good."

" _Or_ maybe she was just giving him a ride." Lucia says. "They looked like they knew each other, maybe they were just friends."

"Well, you could always go find out." Remi says casually.

The others just stare at him, uncomprehending, and he sighs.

"You could go to Galo's apartment. It's close, right? See if Lio's there. If he is, then he probably did just get a ride from her. If he's not...well, he probably really did go home with her, and if that's the case we need to just drop this whole thing. And maybe we should take some time to really consider whether or not we want to get involved in stuff like this that's not our business."

"Remi, come with me." Aina says, standing up hastily. Her pancakes are only half eaten, and Varys sends her a questioning glance, and she sighs and nods at him. He's got them in front of him immediately.

"Why do I have to go?" Remi snaps.

"Because you're the smartest person here, after myself." Aina smirks, and he glares at her. "Plus it was your idea and I don't want to do it alone. Please?"

For a moment it looks like he's not going to relent, but after staring at him with the biggest puppy dog eyes she can manage he finally sighs and pushes up off his chair.

"Fine." He says. "But the next time you need a favor, you had better not come within fifty feet of me."

"Deal" She says.

*******

Twelve hours earlier....

<3Lio<3

Hey, so the call was just a false alarm and

we're out already. Want me to come get you,

take you home?

No, it's okay. Ivy gave me a ride home.

She also said to tell you that the next time

you lock yourself out of the apartment she's

going to charge you $10 to use the spare

key we gave her.

That snitch! She promised she wouldn't tell

you.

Is that the third time this week it's happened?

I mean, I'm not great with numbers, who knows

how many times it's been. Let's not count.

Well, she also wanted me to tell you

that if you get locked out in your boxers

again it'll be $20.

Okay, I'm not taking the blame for that one, that

was entirely your fault and you know it. Also,

there's people out there who would pay ME $20 to

see me in my boxers. Ivy should be so lucky.

Well you'll just have to find one of them the

next time you get locked out, I guess. Or you

could be a genius like me and just not forget

your stupid keys when you leave the house.

Okay, fair enough, genius.

How did you ever survive before we gave her a spare?

I just always left the balcony door open.

....

....

We live on the third floor.

Yeah, that's why I wasn't worried about anyone

else getting in!

Oh my GOD you are ridiculous.

Well, definitely not a super genius like you.

Hey, so can I ask you something?

Of course.

What you said at the bar earlier...when I put my

arm around you and you said that if I kept

touching you like that...you know...

What, that I'd bend you over the bar and fuck

you right there if you didn't stop?

Um, yeah, that. That's not, like, something

we can actually do, right? Like, it's in public

and we'd definitely get arrested. Right?

For the last time yes, having sex in public

is illegal. I do admire your persistence in

this particular fetish, though.

But Meis and Gueira have a bar.

Yeah, so?

Well, do you think they'd let us use it? Like

after they close for the night? Or wait, they

gave you keys, right? Maybe we could sneak

in one night and, you know, make that threat

of yours a reality.

You know there are cameras all over that place, right?

Yeah, I know. :)

Galo, when you get home I'm not even going

to let you get to the bedroom. We'll make it to

the couch if we're lucky, or up against the front

door if we're not. Do you understand me?

Yes boss!

********

Currently....

"So, what's the plan here, mastermind?" Remi asks as they walk the few blocks over to Galo's apartment. "Are you just going to knock on the door and ask if Lio came home last night?"

"I mean, it's not the worst idea. But don't worry, I have a plan." Aina says, sticking her hands in her coat pocket. The blizzard had passed last week and it was still freezing cold out, but it hadn't snowed since then and the streets and sidewalks were finally all clear. She liked this time of year in the city; the snow made everything quiet and dampened the usual noise and bustle that comes from living in close proximity to eight million other people.

"Hey, so can I ask you a question?"

She hums an affirmative.

"Why are you doing this?"

"To see what really happened with Lio last night. It was your idea, remember?" She says, knowing that's not really what he means. He's silent, though, and doesn't push the issue, and she knows that if she wants, he'll let her leave it at that. She sighs.

"I know that not everyone appreciates my brand of pushiness." She says eventually. "And I know that you would rather I didn't meddle in things that aren't my business. But...I dunno. The Burnish have been around my whole life. Yours too, right?" She glances over at him, and he nods. "There wasn't a time growing up that we weren't taught Burnish drills, fire safety, how to avoid smoke inhalation, how to treat burns, stuff like that. When I grew up and got a job with Burning Rescue I was taught how to pilot, how to save those in need, how to treat the injured, how to try to keep everything from getting worse. And I kind of just thought it was going to be that way forever, that our job was to take this world and make it as good as we possibly could. But Galo and Lio...they didn't think that. That wasn't even close to good enough for them. I don't know exactly what went on down there on the Parnassus, but the two of them saw something that none of us had even dared to dream about, a world that wasn't just as good as it gets but something that was right and pure and good, and then _they made it happen_. The rest of us were willing to live like this and just survive, and for the two of them...for them, survival wasn't enough."

She stops as they get to Galo's building, and looks over at Remi, who's staring back at her.

"If anyone on this whole planet deserves our help to be happy, it's those two idiots. Because they saw goodness when the rest of us only saw ugliness, and they brought love when the rest of us could only bring fear and hatred. So if I have to intervene to make the two of them see what they really mean to each other, I will."

Remi nods, and there's something different about the way he agrees with her now, like he's finally able to fit a piece into his puzzle that was previously out of place.

"I will too." He says, and they go inside.

********

Fifteen minutes later, Aina and Remi sit back down in the pancake house.

"Well? How did it go?" Lucia demands.

"Bad." Remi says.

Lucia stands up on her chair, to the annoyed look of the waitress, and points an angry finger at them. "Tell us what happened right now. Was Lio not there?"

"All right, calm down Lucia." Aina says, and takes a deep breath. "Lio was there. But...."

"But we also saw the woman he left with last night leaving the apartment building this morning." Remi finishes for her.

"No." Horrified, from Varys.

"Yes. We ran into her just as Remi and I were going inside."

"So, does that mean Lio brought her back to Galo's apartment?" Varys asks. "That's kind of...ew."

"Remi, you tell the rest." Aina says, dropping her head on the table. "I can't."

Remi puts an awkward hand on her shoulder in solidarity of the horror they had just witnessed, and then finishes up the story.

"Aina decided she still wants to knock on the door, see what's going on. So we do, and eventually Lio answers. When he opens the door, we can see Galo in the living room. Still asleep, drooling on the couch cushions."

"I knew it!" Lucia yells. "Aina, you owe me $20. I told you Lio was making Galo sleep on the couch."

"Not the time, Lucia." Remi snaps at her. "And it gets worse."

"How is that possible?" Varys asks.

"Well, Aina looks at Lio, looks at Galo, and she just like...loses it."

"Okay, I don't think that I _lost_ it, that's exaggerating a bit much." Aina says, glaring at him. "I was just angry, at Lio and at that woman and at Galo for giving up his stupid bed, so I might have yelled a little."

Remi snorts. "Yeah, a little."

"So..." Lucia prompts.

"So I asked Lio how he could let Galo sleep on the couch like that instead of in his own bed, and Lio said not to worry about it, that Galo was _more_ than happy about the situation, and I said of course he was, he's _Galo_ , but it was rude to use someone's niceness against them like that in their own home."

"Whoa."

"Yeah. And Lio got all flushed and asked what we were even doing there, why we were bothering them, and then Remi blurted out that we were meeting for pancakes."

"It was the only thing I could think of to save the situation." Remi says casually. "Since Aina didn't, in fact, have a plan like she told me she did."

"Well, I got distracted. Anyway, when he said the word 'pancakes' Galo woke up and Lio started ordering him around, telling him to put on a shirt and such, and then just said he'd meet us down here as soon as they could get cleaned up."

"Okay, how long ago was that?"

The door bangs open, letting in the freezing morning air into the restaurant, sending a chill down Aina's spine. Galo's standing in the doorway in a light jacket, and Lio's bundled up snugly behind him.

"Who's ready for some pancakes!" Galo yells, in lieu of a hello.

"I am!" Varys answers, and Aina can see the waitress frowning at them from behind the counter.

"I knew Varys would give me a run for my money. Or Aina's money, yeah? You buying?" Galo asks.

Aina looks down at the menu, averting her gaze. "I am _not_ paying for you. This was a friendly invitation."

Lio snorts, and she feels herself blush.

Galo sits down at the table and winces. "Ah man, sleeping on that couch really killed my back."

"It's your own fault." Lio says calmly, slipping in the booth next to Galo. Aina can't tell if he's looking at her or not when he says it, because she won't look at him right now. "I've been telling you to get a better couch for months. You always hurt your back on that thing."

Aina bangs her head on the table.

"What's wrong, Aina?" Galo says, smiling as the waitress puts down a plate in front of him. "Have a bad night?"

"You could say that." She grumbles.

"I love pancakes." Galo says, and digs in.

******

<3Lio<3

I love pancakes! This is going to be a

great day.

Why are you texting me? I'm right next

to you, you could just talk to me.

...

Okay, if all you're going to say is that you

love pancakes you don't have to talk to me.

How about if I say I love YOU?

You can always say that, dummy. Not if

your mouth is full of pancakes, I guess.

Okay, I'll just text that part then.

I love you I love you I love you

I love you too, sweetheart.

*******

Later that day, Lio's acting strangely, and not just because of their little spat that morning. He's finding excuses for Galo to work in the back of the building, away from the front entrance, and he's checking his phone constantly. Aina feels like something's up with him--more than usual--so when his phone pings and he shoots up from the couch and marches outside, she quietly follows him. He goes out the big bay doors and around the corner, and she peeks around, trying to get a glimpse of what's gotten him so worked up. She can't see anything, but she's close enough that she should be able to hear everything, and she settles back against the brick.

After a moment she hears the _click click_ of a woman's heels.

"Ivy." She hears him say in a loud whisper. "Over here."

"Lio, I thought you'd be inside." The woman says. "Oh I get it, I'm just your dirty little secret, huh? Well, here you go, I brought what you asked for."

Aina wants so desperately to know what this woman--Ivy--is giving Lio that she almost risks a peek around the corner. She decides not to, though, because if she blows her cover she won't get to hear the rest of their conversation, and she has a feeling it's going to be a doozy.

"You didn't have to come all the way down here." Lio says.

"You know I can't resist it when you beg."

"Ivy... " Lio says, a warning in his voice.

"Oh, that's right. You're not the one that likes to beg, I know."

"Oh my God, you're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Lio grumbles.

"And give up a chance to see you blush? Never. You're adorable when you're embarrassed."

"Which I seem to always be, around you." Lio says hotly, although there's a faint softness to it, a teasing familiarity.

"Always adorable?" She asks sweetly.

Lio ignores her. "You're not going to tell Galo about this, are you?"

"No way."

He breathes out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Ivy."

"If I tell him, I can't blackmail you with it later. Right now you owe me, and you can bet your pretty little butt that I'm going to call in that favor sooner rather than later. "

"I regret everything about this right now." Lio mutters.

"You do not, you'll like what I have in store for you, don't worry. Listen, I gotta go. We're on for Friday, yeah?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Lio says. The two exchange what sound like goodbyes, and there's some shuffling sounds-- _god_ she wishes she could see what was happening--and she hears the sharp click of the woman's heels as she beings to walk away from the building.

And then. _And then._

"Oh, and Lio?" Ivy calls back, her tone light, teasing. "This one's on me, but next time if you're in your boxers you know what'll happen, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Lio says, like them talking about begging and boxers is normal conversation for the two of them, and he's laughing, a little. "I'll be ready. See you soon."

Lio must have been closer to her hiding spot than she thought, because she doesn't have time to creep away before he's right in front of her, and he almost crashes into her in his haste to get back inside. He's clutching something small in his hand--is that a key? Like, a key to her place? It looks like a freaking key to her, before he notices that she's looking and he stuffs it in his pocket. As they look at each other, both surprised by the other, she watches as Lio flushes brightly, and he looks away quickly.

"How long have you been standing there?" He demands.

"I just got here." The lie comes out immediately. They stare at each other for another second, and Aina knows that Lio knows she's lying, there's no way the embarrassment of getting caught eavesdropping isn't written all over her face. _She's_ not the one used to this, the lying, the sneaking around, keeping secrets from people, she thinks haughtily, of course she wouldn't be very good at it.

"Listen, I don't know what you heard, but it's not what you think." He says, still not meeting her eye.

"Uh huh." It's all she can manage at the moment. Begging. Boxers. What else was she supposed to think?

Lio must realize that too, because he puts his hands together in a pleading motion and finally makes himself look her in the eye.

" _Please_ don't tell Galo about this. _Please_." He's looking at her so intently, his bright amethyst eyes boring into her, and as she stares back at him she finds that she's nodding, almost unintentionally. As soon as she does, he runs inside.

Aina didn't think that her day could get any worse, after the debacle at Galo's apartment this morning.

She was wrong. This was so, so much worse.

********

It's been a week since Aina ran into Lio outside of the station, and Lio hasn't been around much since then so she hasn't had too much time to watch him and try to get a better read on what's going on. She hadn't told Galo about what she saw, _not_ because Lio asked her not to tell but because she didn't want to be the one to break Galo's heart. But with the way Galo's been moping around lately, maybe it didn't matter anymore.

Galo is a force of nature, loud and brash and always in everyone's face, so whenever he's _not_ like that, whenever he's quiet and uses his inside voice appropriately, Aina notices. There's a million reasons why he could be like this, and most of those reasons flit one after another through her head. Galo found out about the woman Lio met with the other day. Galo told Lio he liked him and Lio rejected him. Lio said something mean to him. Maybe he wasn't sleeping well on the couch that he owned in his own stupid apartment because stupid Lio Fotia stole his bed.

She finds him on the floor of the garage tinkering with his motorcycle, oil and grease everywhere and Lucia's tool set on the ground next to him. She walks over and watches him for a moment and he just keeps on working, either oblivious to her presence or ignoring her. Hopefully it's the former.

"Hey, Galo. How are you doing?" She asks him softly.

"Oh, I'm okay." He says, yanking on a piece of the engine that doesn't seem to want to move. "This stupid thing just won't come out."

Aina sighs and kneels down next to him. "I didn't mean with the motorcycle, Galo. I meant _you_. How are _you_ doing."

The piece suddenly pops loose and Galo holds it up to her, triumphant. "Ha! Got it."

So he was going to play it that way, huh? If he wanted to ignore all of his problems they wouldn't just go away, they'd only get worse. She decides to go for a different approach, a more direct one. Honestly, she should have gone for that approach first since Galo never seemed to respond to any of her more subtle attempts to get him to open up.

"We've all noticed you've been kind of quiet lately."

"Oh? Cause for celebration, is it?" He asks, absently cleaning the loose piece.

"Galo, you know it isn't. I just wanted to check in on you, make sure everything is okay with you. And with Lio."

Galo gives out a great big sigh, and sits back heavily on the ground.

"Yeah, everything's fine, I guess. Lio's been out a lot this week."

If Galo didn't already know about Lio and that other woman then it sounded like he was at least beginning to suspect something. That would explain the moodiness, the quiet introspection that was so anathema to his usual personality.

"And...are you okay with that?" She asks carefully.

"Well no, but I mean, it's for a good cause. He's helping organize the Burnish Pride celebration next week, you know."

Well, that explained why Lio hadn't been around much. He was part of the Burnish Advocacy group that had pushed for the first year anniversary to not be a funereal blanket cast over a still partially mourning city but a wild, joyful celebration of what it meant to be Burnish, what it means to be human, and how by working together they could be even stronger and more resilient than they were when separate. Personally Aina thought that it had been a great plan, and she and the rest of the Burning Rescue team had jumped at the chance to help out by working security for the event, free of charge.

And next week was the one year anniversary of the Promare leaving their world, the Parnassus crashing into their city, and the giant Burnish rescue operation that was still one giant blur to Aina. She remembers that week, getting all of the Burnish out of their pods, cleaning up the debris, rescuing citizens who were too close to the crash and who were trapped under the rubble. It was a horrible week, and the Burning Rescue crew had worked tirelessly with every other crew in the city (along with thousands of volunteers) to save as many people as they could. Aina had slept very little that week, but she didn't think Lio and Galo had ever stopped working for a second until Ignis threw them in a holding cell and locked them in there with strict orders to rest.

"Anyway, him and Ivy have been staying up all night planning stuff," Galo continues, "and Lio says I'm too loud and that I "spill coffee too much" and he shoos me away so I don't get in their way." He finishes cleaning off the piece he's got in his hand and shoves it back into the engine. "So I've been here, trying to keep myself busy until everything's all settled. Things'll go back to normal soon, after the Pride event is over."

"He's been with Ivy?" Aina asks, trying to keep her voice even.

"Yeah, she asked for him specifically, I guess. She's on the board of the Burnish Advocacy Group, a big hot shot lawyer. Lio didn't want to help directly with the event, thought that his involvement would cast a pall or something over it since people still get riled up about him and Mad Burnish stuff sometimes, but I guess she convinced him somehow."

That must be the favor she had talked about! And it was a convenient way for them to spend time together. It figured she would think of something like that.

"And...you say they're spending most nights together?"

"Yeah, well, most of them, at least." Galo says, and her heart breaks a little at how sad he sounds.

No. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Lio wasn't supposed to be spending nights with some girl, he was supposed to be with Galo! He was supposed to realize how perfect they were for each other, how much Galo completed him, how good they worked as a team! And just because she couldn't see exactly what attracted Galo to Lio, all that she needed to know was that her friend was hurting right now without him. Aina feels a burst of righteous anger, her indignation made real at the injustice of the situation. Galo deserves better. And she would make sure he got better. Lio might not feel the same way about Galo that Galo did about him, but if he never knew about any of it then he could never make a choice. _This_ was when Galo needed to fight for him. _This_ was the moment that he could turn it all around, if he just had the right push.

They had been doing this her way so far. Intelligence gathering, problem solving--but maybe it was time to do this the Galo Thymos way.

"Galo Thymos, stand up right now." Aina says, jumping to her feet. Galo's eyes go wide, and he complies instantly. For a ridiculous second she almost thinks that he's about to salute her.

"Galo, you told me a few weeks ago that you liked Lio. Is that still true?"

"Of course it is." He says, looking at her strangely. "Are you okay?"

"And you would do anything for him, right?" She asks, ignoring his question.

"Anything in the world." Galo says, still slightly confused.

"Well then I think you need to fight for him. I think you need to tell him how you feel, and make him see how much you like him."

"I mean, I feel like he probably knows..." Galo starts.

"'Probably' isn't good enough! The Galo Thymos I know doesn't even know the word 'probably'. You either do or you don't! And right now I don't think you're feeling that energy."

"Maybe you're right...do you really think I should?" He asks.

"Yes!" Aina cries, although she's not really sure. She's way out of her league here, but she feels deep down like she's definitely channeling Galo's 'balls to the wall' mentality that he loves to tell them about so much. This is the craziest thing she can think of doing, which must mean that she's on the right track. It's time to bring this thing home.

"Listen to me, Thymos. Do you want Lio or not?"

"I totally do." Galo says, and she can see that her enthusiasm is starting to affect him. He's bouncing on his feet, a little, and starting to get a little louder.

"And do you think that you and Lio are meant to be together?"

"Of course!" He says, smiling. "We're soul mates!"

"Then go find Lio, take him by the shoulders and tell him that!" Aina says. "Tell him in a way he can't ignore, tell him in the most Galo Thymos way you possibly can!"

Galo's eyes go wide at this last part, and he breaks out into a huge smile.

"Aina, you're right, you're so right. I have to tell him the Galo Thymos way. I have the best idea in the whole world."

"That's it! You can do it!"

"I'm going to need some help though...and maybe a few firecrackers...and I bet Lucia could make me a T-shirt cannon..."

"Okay now, wait a second." Aina says, and she feels the energy she had just been channeling start to deflate. Galo's already moving away from her, mumbling to himself. She thinks she hears him say "skywriting" and "lasers", but no. That can't be right, can it?

"Galo, when I meant you should do something big, I didn't mean that--"

"No, Aina, I've got it. Seriously, it's the most perfect idea I've ever had. Lio's going to be over the moon for it, I just know it."

Aina winces as she considers the fact that in Galo's mind this might actually mean shooting Lio over the actual moon, and she is beginning to regret once again her decision to intrude in this.

"Aina, I would have never thought of doing this without you. Listen, I gotta go. I have some plans to make, some people to contact. I'll see you at the rally, right?" And he's off, the force of nature back in business and whirling out the door, leaving a trail of destruction behind him, oil and grease and tools still spread out on the floor of the garage. That destructive part of his force is something she forgets about, sometimes.

Aina sits down on the couch, and for a second she thinks that perhaps maybe she has made a crucial misstep somewhere.

"What was that all that noise just now?" Remi asks, peeking into the room.

"Nothing." She says, blushing, and hopes that it's true.

******

G.Thymos (boyfriend)

Hey Galo, I think it's going to be another long night.

Ivy and I are waiting on some big hotshot lawyers

to call us back, and we can't miss the call. I've got

no idea when they'll call us back, but it could be late.

It's okay babe, really. I've got some dinner

in the fridge for you whenever you get home,

I'll warm it up whenever you do get here.

That's very nice of you.

You deserve it! You're working really hard. I

wish I could help you out more, but I know I

just get in the way.

You're not in the way, you're just very...distracting.

Oooh, I like that even better!

Hey, can I ask you something stupid?

Those are my favorite kinds of questions.

Do you think I...I'm not really sure how to put it...

do you think I take advantage of how nice you are?

That IS a stupid question. Of course I don't

think that. I don't think you take advantage of

anyone, ever. Why would you even think that?

I don't know, it's just been on my mind lately. You are

always willing to just give and give until you don't

have anything left, sometimes, and I'm worried that I

might take it for granted, I might take too much

from you without thinking about how it affects you.

Lio, I'm gonna tell you this once, and only once.

There's absolutely nothing in this world that I

wouldn't give to you a million times over, and I

wouldn't do it because of how "nice" I am or

because you demanded it or anything like that. I

would do it because I love you and I want to,

because I KNOW that you aren't the kind of person

that would take something like that for granted.

That's WHY I love you. So don't think stuff like that,

okay?

You know there's nothing I wouldn't do for

you too, right?

Well that's part of it too, firebug. Mutual trust!

Yeah, you're right. I don't know why that was

bothering me so much.

You're really insightful sometimes, you know?

Yeah well, we all can't be genuises who never lock

ourselves out of the house like you. :)

Ugh stop, seriously don't

....

Hey, so Ivy said she'll wait for this call by herself,

she says it's a lawyer thing and I wouldn't be much

help anyway. Is dinner still on?

Hell yeah!

*******

It's the day of the Burnish celebration. Everything has gone really well, so far; there was talk of a big counter protest, of bigots who were still against reintegrating the Burnish into society, but only two people showed up for it and they were quickly cordoned off and eventually left, heads hung in shame. The rest of the participants have been nothing but kind, welcoming and generous, and both ex-Burnish and non Burnish (never-Burnish?) are in the streets, dancing and celebrating and just having a great time.

Burning Rescue is patrolling the stage area, which so far has been a pretty easy job. There's been a continuous flow of performers playing all day, from Burnish bands to magicians to politicians to poetry readings. One group had done a puppet reenactment of the events surrounding the Parnassus crash, and despite the heavy subject matter everyone laughs when the little Kray puppet gets hit over the head a million times by the little Lio and Galo puppets with tiny swords. It's been a blast, so far, and every time someone gets on stage the crowd waits eagerly to see what form their next entertainment is going to take.

"Hey, Aina?" Remi says, coming up to her with his clipboard. "Have you seen Galo? He's supposed to be patrolling the eastern section, but he's not responding to comms."

"No, actually, I haven't heard from him in a while." She says, a deep pit of unease settling in her stomach. She had mostly forgotten about their conversation the other day, tried to brush it off as just a ridiculous fancy of Galo's and she told herself that he wouldn't actually go through with anything, not really. Right now in this moment, though, she thinks that she might have made a miscalculation. On a hunch she looks up to the stage, and it's then that she knows they're in big trouble.

"Is that Galo?" Lucia's voice comes in from their comms.

A familiar blue haired firefighter is up on the main stage, walking towards the microphone, and Aina grabs Remi and runs over to try and stop the catastrophe that's about to unfold in front of them. They find Lio and Ivy in the wings of the stage, the two ex-Burnish coordinating the acts with the other presenters, both armed with clipboards and headsets galore. As Aina and Remi make their way over Lio looks up as they come to a crashing halt in front of him.

"I think we're about to have an unscheduled performance." Remi says, and points. Lio startles when he recognizes Galo, and then looks down at his clipboard, like he's trying to see where in his paperwork this interruption has been scheduled.

"Is that...what's he doing out there?" He finally manages.

"This is my fault." Aina says, "I told him to do this...but I didn't think he would do _this_...I meant for him to do something at home, in private..." She can't get the words out, and Lio narrows his eyes at her.

"What did you do?" He asks, but then Galo begins to speak, and all of their attention is focused on him and they're all unable to look away from the slowly unfolding trainwreck happening in front of them.

"Hey Burnish!" He shouts into the microphone, and his energy is contagious. The crowd screams back at him, and Aina's not really surprised. She knows how easy Galo is in large crowds like this, how much he enjoys the attention. The crowd worships him, feeds off his energy.

"My name is Galo Thymos, and I'm a firefighter." He says, like everyone in this whole crowd doesn't already know who he is, didn't just see a puppet performance of his heroic actions. A few women near the front of the stage scream his name, and he gives them finger guns and winks at them and they faint. Aina rolls her eyes despite her unease at the whole situation. When the crowd quiets down, he continues.

"One year ago today, I helped send the Promare back to their own world. And one year and one week ago, I met Lio Fotia."

Aina feels Lio startle next to her, and she can hardly bear to watch any more. Lio was going to kill Galo, and then he was going to kill her, and she probably deserved it.

"Now, I know a lot of you know Lio," Galo says, and he's met with a pretty staggering amount of cheering from the crowd, "but for those of you who don't know him, let me tell you a little about him. Lio was the leader of the Mad Burnish. The news called him a terrorist. Hell, that's what I thought too, when I first met him." Boos, now, and Galo holds up a hand, indicating that they should wait, that he wasn't done. "But I know better now. Looking back I knew better then, too, because it didn't take me long to see that Lio wasn't a terrorist. None of the Burnish were terrorists. Some Burnish were mothers, husbands, sons, daughters, some were pizza makers, some were businessmen and accountants trying to get through their day, protecting their secret and some were just trying to live, thinking that they needed to hide who they really were. And then some of them were rebels, fighting against an unfair and unjust world that was intent on keeping them down, on locking them up and using them for disgusting purposes." He pauses, for a moment, the anger evident on his face, but then it turns into something softer. "Lio was the leader of that rebellion."

The crowd goes wild at this, and Galo looks over for the first time and sees Lio, waiting in the wings, and he smiles. He waits for the crowd to calm down again before he turns back to the crowd and goes on.

"And I know that everyone out here today is here because they support what Lio and his rebels were fighting for. What I came to fight for, once I understood. Hope, love, the promise of something better, a world where everyone can live and not be afraid of who they are or who their neighbors are but can just exist, together, free from pain and fear." Galo takes a moment to pause, and the crowd buoys him up, cheers and claps for him, waiting for him to continue.

"But all of that isn't why I commandeered the stage today. That's not why the lead singer of the Flaming Tits is glaring at me right now." He says, gesturing towards the opposite side of the stage where the leader singer of the Flaming Tits is, in fact, glaring angrily at him. He turns back to the side where Lio is waiting and stares straight at him, and then it's just the two of them, eyes locked, and the crowd of thousands is just background noise.

"The reason I did all of this was just to tell you, Lio Fotia, how much I love you. For all those reasons I just said, and for a million more. We saved the world together, and for one stupid second I thought that nothing else would ever compare to how amazing that was but every day I get to spend with you proves that wrong. When you're brushing your teeth or yelling at me for taking up all the hot water or burning your hand on the stove, or when you spend all of your free time working to get the Burnish ID cards, or even just food and blankets for those who can't get it for themselves--it's all even better than the second that came before it and I'm the luckiest person on the planet because I get to spend all of those seconds with you. I love you, firebug, to the sun and back and all through the solar system, and I just wanted to tell you that. And that's why I commandeered the stage today."

The crowd, who just seconds earlier had been buzzing with excitement, is totally still right now. They're waiting, silent and nervy, to see what the response to this heartfelt declaration is going to be, and even Aina feels her breath catching in her throat, waiting. Lio's next to her and she glances at him to see what his reaction to all of this is, and for a second she despairs as she realizes that he's standing as still as a statue, as cold and intractable as stone.

And then--a burst of energy, like a star exploding. He throws his clipboard at Ivy, who catches it, Aina is surprised to see, with a big smile on her face. He untangles himself from the headset he's wearing, and then he's stalking on the stage towards Galo. Aina still can't breathe, she doesn't know what Lio's going to do, in front of all of these people, and then he reaches the center where Galo's waiting for him.

Lio stands in front of Galo and the two stare at each other for a single moment, and then Lio takes Galo's face roughly in his hands and drags it down to meet his own, and in front of a crowd of ten thousand people the two of them are kissing, greedily, hungrily, like there's no one else besides the two of them in the entire world. The crowd explodes as soon as their lips touch, hooting and hollering and cheering for the two of them, and after a few seconds of this Galo moves his arms around Lio and lifts him up, without breaking their kiss, and Lio wraps his legs effortlessly around Galo's waist.

The crowd explodes, and Aina finally lets out the breath she's been holding.

******

Galo and Lio disappeared from the stage without Aina seeing where they went, and she's happy to leave them to it. They probably need to talk this out, decide what this all means to them, all sorts of messy stuff like that, and she knows that any interruption probably wouldn't be in their best interests. Or her eyes best interests, honestly. The next act has already started, and since she hasn't moved from her spot in the wings of the stage she can hear Ivy talking into her headset, coordinating the act that's up after these guys. Aina's not really sure what compels her to go up and do what she does next, but she tells herself it has nothing to do with any sort of smug satisfaction at her success.

"Hey, so, sorry about that whole thing." Aina says, waving her hand towards the stage. "Galo can be a little...much, sometimes."

Ivy smiles at her, which Aina finds a bit surprising, since didn't Lio just, like, dump her in front of ten thousand people? Shouldn't she be a little more upset?

"You work with him at Burning Rescue, right?" Ivy says, and holds out a hand. "He talks about you guys all the time. He's really lucky to have such great coworkers."

Aina takes her hand, shakes it confusedly.

"I didn't know that you knew Galo." She says carefully.

"Oh yeah, we've lived across the hall from each other for almost a year now. I was one of Lio's Mad Burnish, back when we were on the run, so when reintegration happened Lio helped me get my ID, helped me find a place, everything. That's when I met Galo--they were living together, then, and the rent is super awesome in his building. Although," she gives Aina a knowing smirk, "if I had known what a pain those two can be, I might have spent more time looking for something else. But I'm sure you get enough of that yourself, having to work with them."

Okay, wait. Ivy was their...neighbor?

"Uh, yeah, they're...a lot." It's all she can come up with right now. Seriously? Neighbors?

"Yeah, we rotate doing dinner at each other's place once a month, and watching those two lovebirds try and make dinner together is honestly the most sickeningly sweet thing I've ever had to watch. I didn't mind so much when we were doing double dates, but, you know, my girlfriend and I broke up a few months ago so for right now it's just the three of us. It was a totally amicable split, by the way, no hard feelings on either side."

_"We're on for Friday, yeah?" "Wouldn't miss it."_

"Galo's actually a pretty good cook." Ivy is saying, when Aina doesn't answer. "I was surprised, considering he's usually so scatterbrained. But he'd do anything for Lio," and Ivy waves a hand at the stage, "obviously, and Lio--well, let's just say I wish the walls were a little more sound proof."

_You're not the one that likes to beg, I know_

Oh god, she wasn't talking about her and Lio, she was talking about Lio and--

"I'm sorry, I have to go." Aina says, and rushes off the stage.

"It was nice meeting you!" Ivy calls after her. "We should get drinks sometime!"

******

When Aina comes into work the next morning Galo and Lio are sitting on the couch at the station, and Galo's got his arm around Lio's shoulders and Lio's allowing it, not pushing him away or making obnoxious comments to him (oh god it probably wasn't an _obnoxious_ comment that got Galo so worked up last time, she can't believe it took her this long to come up with that explanation), and they're just sitting there like this is something totally normal and usual, which it very much isn't. No one seems surprised, though, after the performance yesterday; Lucia's at her desk, fully engrossed in some sort of project, and Remi and Varys are talking quietly at the table. She ignores all of them and marches up to the two on the couch, hands on her hips.

"How long, exactly, have you two been together?" She demands. The rest of the crew looks up at her, surprised.

They shrug, and share a look.

"Eight months, two weeks and three days." Galo answers.

"I thought you weren't good at counting." Lio teases, smiling at him.

"Only when I've done something stupid." Galo says, smiling back fondly. "Not for the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Eight months!" She hears Lucia shriek.

"Holy shit." From Remi.

"Awww." Says Varys.

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Aina says, knows that her voice is too loud, that she's too worked up right now, but she doesn't care. She can't believe something like this has been going on under her very nose, that she didn't notice anything.

"We didn't _not_ tell anyone." Lio says, a little indignant. "I just like to keep things professional at work."

"Actually, I appreciate that." Remi says. "Feel free to carry on with that."

"Wait, you didn't know we were together?" Galo asks, cocking his head at Aina. "But...I told you how much I liked Lio."

Lio pats him on the thigh, as if to say "good boy", and Aina's mind flashes back to that conversation where she told Galo he was like a puppy, and she blushes.

"We all knew _you_ liked Lio. We just didn't think he liked you back." Lucia supplies helpfully.

"Hey." Lio pouts.

"It's okay, babe. _I_ know how much you like me." Galo says, grinning at him wildly, and Aina watches with a mixture of fascination and horror as a blush creeps up Lio's face, turning him an alarming shade of red.

"So that woman Lio went home with the other day at the bar..." Remi starts.

"Their neighbor." Aina answers. She had been so blown away yesterday by everything that had happened she hadn't had a chance to tell anyone about what she and Ivy talked about. "She lives across the hall from them."

"Ivy?" Galo asks. "What about her?"

"Wait, you thought I 'went home' went home with Ivy?" Lio asks, and laughs. "Well I guess it's nice to know I can pass for straight if I need to."

"But I thought she gave Lio a key to her place?" Varys asks. Aina had told them about the incident with Lio and Ivy, but with all of this new information it takes a different tone than it did before. All of them, including Galo, turn to Lio and wait for him to clarify. Lio looks furious, and he glares at Aina.

"It wasn't a key to her place, okay? It was the key to our place." Aina's not really sure why this revelation is said with such vitriol until she sees the stupidest grin spread on Galo's face.

"Oh really?" He says, and he's practically crowing, he's so happy. "Lock yourself out of the apartment, did you, genius?"

"You said you wouldn't tell." Lio says, glaring at Aina as Galo continues to gloat about the fact that Lio got locked out.

"I said I wouldn't tell Galo," She clarifies, "and I didn't." She hardly feels bad about it either, after what they've put her through.

"And that thing with the cave?" Lucia asks. "I guess we didn't really need to worry about you guys killing each other, huh?"

"Actually, Lio said that some places call it a little death, so if you think about it--" Galo's words are stopped by Lio slapping a hand over his mouth, as well as the horrified sounds that the rest of the crew makes.

"Galo, remember what I said about boundaries?" Lio admonishes, although he doesn't sound particularly angry, Aina thinks.

"Okay, wait. I just have one last question and then I swear I'll drop it." She waits for everyone to calm down, and she turns to Galo. "Galo, why'd you let me talk you into confessing your love for Lio if you guys were already together?"

Galo just shrugs. "I dunno, you seemed to think it was a great idea, which it definitely was, and I always thought that the whole world should know how much I love him. It sounded like really good advice to me."

"'Should' and 'want'..." Lio starts.

"Are different, I know." Galo says. "But I don't care. I love you, Lio, and I want everyone to know. And everyone should know, now."

"They definitely do." Remi says, holding up today's paper. _Idiots in Love Crash Burnish Pride_ is splashed on the front page of the local paper, and Remi reads the article underneath. "'After crashing a ship into the middle of Promepolis one year ago, the two men responsible for the accident crash the Burnish Pride Celebration with declarations of love and a very public display of affection.'"

"I don't know if I'd say we're responsible for the crash." Lio says testily. "We're not the ones who put it up there in the first place."

"Hang on, there's more. 'Lio Fotia, former leader of the rebel group known as the Mad Burnish, and local firefighting hero Galo Thymos took to the stage on Saturday to show the crowd that there are no hard feelings between those who used to start the fires and those who used to fight them.'"

"Phrasing!" Lucia calls out, and Aina shushes her.

"Thank you, Aina. 'The other performances cemented this feeling, although without such a steamy display of affection (the only exception, in this reporter's humble opinion, being the excellent puppet show put on by the local Burnish puppetry guild) along with other such notable acts like the...' blah blah blah." Remi says. "Okay, the rest is just a run down on the rest of the acts. Well hey, that could have gone a lot worse. It sounds like the event was an overall success."

"I'd say so." Galo smiles and squishes Lio into a hug, and Aina smiles as Lio allows himself to be pulled in without too much protest. "Well hey, now that everyone in the world knows about us, does this mean we can just make out in the common room instead of having to go into the supply closet all the time?"

"NO!" Comes the emphatic response from the crew. They continue to laugh and bicker with each other as Lucia complains about all of her tainted supplies, Remi complains about all of the paperwork he's going to have to do because of the two of them, and Galo recounts the story of how Ivy persuaded him to not go with the skywriter after all, and Aina smiles.

This problem has been solved, no thanks to her or the meddling of the crew, but it has been solved none the less, and she can't wait to work together with them--with all of them--to solve whatever other problems might crop up next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recognize this whole thing probably requires you to check your brain at the door to really enjoy it but I don't care, I think it's cute. Thanks to everyone who commented on my last piece, I wouldn't have done this without those words of encouragement! They really mean a lot.
> 
> I also rewrote this stupid thing like, four times, so if there's anything that doesn't make sense it's probably because it got cut from an earlier draft (now posted as chapter two). Let me know if anything is confusing! I want to get better at doing stuff like this, so constructive criticism helps. Also sorry if the text part of the story is formatted weirdly, I tried my best but I thought it was important.


	2. Six Tickets to Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burning Rescue 3 is forced to attend a team building seminar on a tropical island. Aina sees the whole endeavor as a chance to help Galo find someone to hookup with who will hopefully get his mind off of Lio, who obviously has no interest in him. When Lio finds out what she's trying to do with his boyfriend of almost a year he sees an opportunity to make the weekend just a little more interesting.
> 
> Of course it backfires for everyone involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not a continuation of chapter one! Please note!
> 
> So this was actually the first draft of what became "Somebody to Love", and I was reading over it the other day and decided that I may actually like it more than what I originally posted. The plots are wildly different from each other, and really the only thing they share is the concept of "Lio and Galo are dating but the crew thinks they aren't" (also I may have recycled a joke or two) so I thought it was different enough that it might be worth posting. Hope you guys enjoy!

Lio watches the palm fronds sway in the warm summer air, their bright green leaves set against deep blue sky speckled with fluffy white clouds. The peach colored sand sparkles under the pretty summer sun. In the distance he can hear the crashing of waves against sand, can feel the light ocean spray misting through the air.

"I can't believe we have to spend our whole weekend here." His voice comes out whinier than he intended, but he can't help it. They're really going to be stuck here. For the whole weekend.

"Oh come on Lio, it won' t be that bad," Galo says, setting their bags down as they wait in line to check into the hotel. "It'll be like, what. Two seminars or something? Then we'll get to go out to the beach, relax, do other things..."

"I know what you're thinking," Lio says, looking at the expression on Galo's face. It's an expression he knows pretty well. "We're not having sex on the beach."

"Why not?" Now it's Galo's turn to whine.

"It's called sand, dummy. Also there's like a million people here." Lio waves to the line in front of them. "And don't forget about--"

"Hey guys!" Aina says, bouncing up to them. The rest of the crew is trailing behind, Lucia with her head buried in a tablet, Remi looking as cool and composed as ever even in this heat, Varys looking like he might actually be okay with this whole thing, a Hawaiian shirt topping off his ensemble.

"That," Lio says, looking at Galo. "Don't forget about that."

"You haven't checked in yet?" Remi asks.

"As you can see," Lio answers, and gestures to the long line in front of them. The hotel is filled with other firefighters, paramedics, every sort of first responder that Lio can think of. "Apparently there's a million other poor souls here who need as much help with team building as we do."

"I heard this was mandatory across the city," Varys offers. "Some sort of new project that the city is putting forward due to...well, you know. A giant ship crashing in the middle of it last year? "

"I bet someone on the city council owns this hotel," Lucia mutters. "Actually, I could probably find out." She begins typing furiously on her tablet.

"Come on, guys," Aina says, always the positive one of the group. "We're on a beautiful tropical island. We don't have to pay for anything. We get to spend some time with each other. Isn't that as good as a vacation as we're ever going to get?"

Lio joins in with the others in mumbling their hesitant assent. It _is_ pretty here, and Lio looks over at Galo, who's smiling at him in a way that promises that this will be more than a little fun, if they can ever get some time alone together.

Lio sighs. This might just end up being okay. Lio offers to wait in line and check in for them while the others check out the hotel bar, and when he finally gets to the front of the line and the concierge tells him the bad news, he knows that this is in fact not going to be okay. This is going to be brilliant.

*****

Work Group Chat (NOT GALO/LIO)

**AINA**

I can't believe that the Chief only booked the six of us three rooms.

**REMI**

Cutting into your plans, is it?

**AINA**

You know it is! We were supposed to use this weekend to find Galo a girlfriend, and it's going to be hard to do that now that we all have to share rooms.

**REMI**

I'm still confused as to why exactly we are meddling in this at all.

**LUCIA**

Because everyone's tired of watching him follow Lio around like a puppy when Lio is obviously a cat person

**VARYS**

Omg Lucia you're right, he is totally a cat person

**AINA**

Can we focus, please? Look, this is just a setback. We don't need to find Galo a freaking wife or anything but we need to let him know that there are people out there who are capable of liking him back, who are dog people like him, if you must use that analogy.

**LUCIA**

Maybe we should just get him a dog

**VARYS**

No, Galo's the dog. He needs an owner.

**REMI**

I'm going to have to ask everyone to keep this at least a little professional.

**AINA**

I don't know why I roped you guys into this

**REMI**

Honestly I'm not sure why either.

**LUCIA**

Do you guys have a balcony? Cause Aina and I are overlooking the dumpsters out back

**VARYS**

We've got a nice view of the side of the hotel next to us.

**REMI**

Alright! This is super fun but I'm heading to the bar. I'll see you guys on Monday.

**AINA**

Okay, yes, bar! Let's grab Galo and we'll all head down there!

**REMI**

uggggh that's not what I meant

**AINA**

I'll see you in five!

******

Lio opens the door to their balcony and lets the cool breeze from the ocean blow over his skin. They've got a nice view out here, looking right out to the beach. If they weren't on the fifth floor they could just walk out right into the ocean, almost. Lio's never seen the ocean, not up close like this, and it's mesmerizing watching the waves crash relentlessly on the sand. The blue water seems like it goes on forever, past the curve of the horizon, out into the great unknown.

"Got a nice view," Galo says.

Lio leans on the balcony. "Yeah, we got lucky, I think. This looks like one of their premium rooms, no idea how we ended up with it."

"Hmm, yeah, the ocean's okay too."

Lio rolls his eyes at the cheesy line, but he can't help the small flutter of his heart that happens whenever Galo says shit like that. He looks backward to see Galo staring straight at his ass, and he clears his throat. Caught red handed, Galo meets his eyes and gives him one of those delectable cocky grins that makes Lio's blood go wild. They've got this beautiful room to themselves, the sea as their only witness, and so he promptly walks over and places himself in Galo's lap and loops his arms around his neck.

"How did you ever make it so far in life with such cheesy lines," he whispers, biting along Galo's bottom lip.

"It got me here," Galo gasps, as Lio starts in on the sensitive spot behind his ears. "It seems like that's a pretty good place to end up."

Lio's about to answer this with a line about ideas on how to stop his mouth from uttering any more cheesy things, but a knock sounds on the door. They both groan, and Lio reluctantly picks himself off of Galo's lap.

"This whole weekend is going to be like this, isn't it?" He calls back acidly to Galo as he goes to open the door. He hears Galo snort.

"Whoa, you guys have a balcony!" Shouts Lucia as she barges in.

"Please, come in," Lio says flatly. She's at the balcony before he even gets the first word out, and she leans as far over the railing as she can without falling off. Aina takes the invitation and plops down next to Galo, and Varys follows behind her, claiming one of the small chairs next to the TV.

"You guys ready to go down to the bar?" Aina asks. "Remi's already there. He said he would save us a seat."

"I don't know if that was the exact phrase he used," Lucia calls back, but Aina waves her off.

"I dunno," Lio says, knowing that if he met Galo's gaze right now it would convey too much, "I was kind of tired from the plane. I was thinking of staying here and taking a nap."

"Yeah, a nap sounds great," Galo says quickly, and then makes a big show of yawning. It's so fake and over the top that Aina rolls her eyes.

"Not a chance, you two. We were all on a plane too and none of us are tired."

"Actually, a nap sounds really nice," Varys says.

"Let's go!" Aina shouts, hauling Galo off the bed and shoving everyone out of the room.

Yep, this was definitely how this weekend was going to go, Lio thinks as he's frog marched out of their room, watching as Aina takes Galo's arm and leads him to the elevator. He's definitely going to need a drink if the night is going to continue this way.

******

Lio's got a couple of drinks in him and he's lazily scanning the room. Aina's been almost fanatic about introducing them to every single person she's ever known, which seems to be almost everyone here, and Lio's tired of watching them all hit on Galo. Galo, for his part, doesn't look any happier about the situation than Lio, but right now he's stuck in another conversation with someone (Sheila? Shyla? He can't remember) and he's doing his best to be polite, all the while throwing pleading glances at Lio, who is pointedly ignoring him.

"Aren't you going to save him?" Lucia asks, kicking Lio's chair. They're sitting a few seats away from Galo and Aina, close enough that Aina can send the two of them warning glances whenever they get too rowdy but not close enough to hear what's making Shyna laugh so much.

Lio thinks it over for a second and swishes his drink around in his glass. "He seems fine."

Lucia snorts. "He's completely miserable, and you know it. And now, look. He's jealous that I'm getting to talk to you and he's not."

"He's not jealous," Lio says, taking another drink. "That would be ridiculous."

"And ridiculous would be Galo's middle name," Lucia says, regarding Lio suspiciously, like he's one of her broken robots she's trying to piece back together. "And what about you? Are you jealous?"

Lio cocks an eyebrow. "And why would I be?"

"Watching all of those girls hit on Galo."

Lio grins. People hit on Galo all the time; Lio actually likes it, a little (although he'd never admit it) because Galo's usually either oblivious to the attention or, if the person is extremely forward, annoyed that's it's happening. Lio doesn't need confirmation from strangers that his boyfriend is hot, but it's not exactly a turn off to find out that other people like him, want him, desire him. And afterwards...well. Afterwards Galo gets to prove that he has eyes for no one else except for Lio, and they _both_ like that. A lot.

"Not exactly," Lio says.

Lucia shrugs, and the conversation moves on to more mundane topics. Lio's scanning the room as he half listens to Remi and Lucia argue about something until his gaze snags on a woman sitting by herself at the bar, looking as uncomfortable as he feels in giant crowds like this. He recognizes the way she's sitting as an ex-Burnish thing, a sort of paranoid over-your-shoulder posture that seems to be particular to those who were on the run for a long time and always kept an eye on the exit door anywhere they went. He goes over and sits down next to her.

"Buy you a drink?" He asks.

She sends him a practiced glare that under normal circumstances would strip paint from the walls, but it turns quickly into a genuine smile when she recognizes him.

"Oh Lio, thank god it's you. My stupid crew made me come down here and mingle, but you have no idea how many horny idiots are roaming around here."

Lio spares a quick glance at Galo, who's currently trying to keep Shyra's hand from moving any further up his thigh.

"I have some idea, actually."

She follows his gaze and snorts when she sees Galo trying valiantly to defend his honor, but then cocks her head.

"Wait, is _he_ the horny idiot, or is he currently being accosted by one?"

"It was your observation, Ivy. That means you get to decide."

She settles back into the stool, and Lio waves to the bartender to bring them more drinks.

"Well if I know anything about my favorite neighbors, and I do, since we share very thin walls, I'm going to say it's probably both."

"They're not that thin," Lio grumbles, trying to hide his blush.

"Oh, listen," Ivy says, ignoring his discomfort, "I didn't know you were going to be here this weekend, although I should have guessed since every freaking firefighter in Promepolis seems to be here, but I have that book you lent me last week and I finished it on the plane. Want me to grab it for you? I've been looking for an excuse to get out of here anyway."

A loud cackling sound comes from the other side of the lounge, and Lio sighs as he watches Galo turn a very deep, uncomfortable shade of red. Shyka must have made a very inappropriate comment to make him turn that specific color.

"That would be great. But first, would you do me a favor?"

******

Lio sits at the bar for another ten minutes after Ivy leaves, finishing his drink, before he decides that he too has had enough of this night. He heads over to the elevators when he hears Galo call his name, and he turns, seeing Galo jogging towards him.

"Going up?" Lio asks as he pushes the buttons.

"We should really be taking the stairs," Galo says, coming to a stop next to him. "It's good exercise."

"If I use those stairs I will fall down and die right now. Plus I like to get my exercise in through other means." Lio raises his eyebrows suggestively.

"Speaking of, thanks for finally sending Ivy over to save me," Galo says, a little cross. "It took you long enough."

"I thought you were having fun," Lio says, nonplussed.

"No you didn't," Galo says, and the elevator doors open with a ping and Galo tugs Lio inside. "You like watching me squirm."

The elevator is empty, and when the doors close Galo's hands are on him, and Lio feels his face flush at the publicness of it even as he leans into Galo's touch.

"I like watching you do lots of stuff," Lio says, already a little breathless from Galo's attention. "But yes, squirming is one of the better ones."

"Mmm, well, then for you I'll endure it."

A few seconds later the door pings open on their floor, and in the slightly compromising position they're in right now Lio's glad that no one's there to see them. He takes Galo's hand and leads him down the hallway.

"If you don't walk any faster I'm going to have to carry you," Galo murmurs in his ear.

"Right over the threshold, huh?" Lio says, and in response to that challenge Galo wraps his arms around his waist and lifts him. Lio laughs again and lets him do this, both because he's a little tipsy and because finally getting to let loose when he's alone with Galo is its own sort of headiness. Galo sets him down in front of the door and fishes around for his keycard. Lio hadn't brought his with him; he knew that by the end of the night they'd end up together anyway, so he didn't bother.

"Having trouble getting it in?"

Lio's comment makes him stumble even more, and he slides it through three, four times before the green light blinks. When the door finally opens Lio feels Galo's hands pushing him forcefully inside, and then Galo claims his mouth before the door is even closed. Galo's so insistent, and so warm and so needy right now, and Lio can't bear to do anything except return the kiss full force.

"Hang on a second," Galo says, breaking away. He runs over to his suitcase and grabs a sock, then slips outside to hang it on the door handle.

"What's that for?"

"Now everyone knows not to knock," Galo says. "It's the universal code for go away."

Lio doesn't know if that's true or not but decides if it even has a 1% chance of working then it's worth it. He doesn't know what he'll do right now if someone knocks on the door, but he suspects it would end with something breaking.

Galo's mouth is on his again, and he whimpers against Lio's lips as Lio deepens their kiss.

"You're in a mood tonight," Lio murmurs.

"I just missed you," he answers, nuzzling into Lio's neck. "You know, this may sound kind of weird but I don't think Aina just had a bunch of horny friends that she wanted to introduce me to. I think she was legitimately trying to hook me up with one of them."

"That's ridiculous," Lio huffs. "We've been together for almost a year now. She wouldn't try and break us up just so you could hook up with a random person."

"Yeah, except I don't think she knows we're together."

"Are you serious?" Lio asks. "How could she not know?"

"I dunno. You're not exactly the most forthcoming person in the world, especially around the crew. Aina just kept making references to these girls actually, you know, liking me, and maybe I should stop pining after people who don't. Plus she kept sending these weird glances towards you every time she said it, so."

"Mmm, well if she was talking about me I just want it on the record that I like you a lot," Lio says, bringing up a hand to run through Galo's hair. "If that's not good enough for them I hope it's good enough for you."

"It's more than good enough for me," Galo breathes, moving his arms down Lio's sides and loosening his belt.

Lip stops suddenly. "Wait, so you think she was actually trying to get you to hook up with one of those girls? Are you even bisexual?" He hadn't been paying super close attention but he's pretty sure all of the people Aina brought over were women. And honestly Lio had never thought about Galo being attracted to women or not; it hadn't really come up, before.

Galo thinks it over for a second.

"I'm Liosexual," he answers finally. "I'm only attracted to people who are Lio."

Lio laughs again, and Galo pushes him gently onto the bed. He's already got his shirt off, of course, even though Lio didn't notice when he did it, and now Galo's working on getting the rest of Lio's clothes off.

"Hang on, I have an idea," Lio says, and flips Galo so that he can climb on top of him. Galo's more than willing to play along, and Lio reaches down to his neck and sucks. Galo whimpers, but Lio shushes him and then kisses the area gently.

"That'll give them something to talk about," says Lio, grinning at the red mark that's already visible against Galo's skin. "Now, tell me more about this Liosexual thing, I want to hear absolutely everything about it."

Galo grins, and does just that.

*****

Afterwards, they're lying in each other's arms. The sock had worked at least well enough for now, he supposed, since no one had bothered them for the last forty five minutes. If that's the case he's okay with leaving it on there indefinitely.

He's been running over what Galo said earlier in his mind. He hates to admit that Galo might actually have a point about everything; if Aina knew they were together she's not the kind of person that would try to break them up. But she's also the kind of person who likes to be involved and meddle with people, and she's never brought up their relationship before. Actually, now that he thinks about it, a few months ago there was that cute delivery driver from the pizza place that she tried to get Galo to ask out for two weeks until Galo finally lost it and told her to butt out.

Maybe he was right.

"Do you really think no one knows about us?" Lio asks.

"Not if they were in the rooms next to us ten minutes ago," Galo mumbles, half asleep.

Lio snorts. He's a private guy, doesn't really like sharing details about himself. Some of it comes from being on the run for so long and not really being able to trust most people, not knowing who you could trust, but some of it is just because he doesn't see why what he does with Galo is anyone else's business. But if the crew is going to try and hook Galo up with other people, maybe it _should_ be their business. He sighs. That's maybe something they should talk about--later. Right now he's warm and fuzzy and flush with the memory of Galo's attention. Maybe they should go on vacation like this more often.

"I'm going to get a drink," Lio says, and Galo mumbles something that may or may not even be real words. Lio gets dressed--it's only a short walk down the hallway but he'd be mortified if someone saw him in his current state of dishabille--and silently closes the door behind him.

The $2.50 soda tastes wonderful against his dry mouth, cooling him down after a rather physically taxing night. He walks back down to his room --

\--and realizes he doesn't have his key card. Galo's been the one carrying it all night, and Lio hadn't bothered carrying his own copy with him. He looks at the sock hanging on the knob and knocks.

Galo doesn't answer. He knocks harder, then listens at the door --nothing. No sound or movement or anything. Lio hadn't really expected that he wake up from the noise; he's a pretty heavy sleeper, afterwards, and their lovemaking had been rather...vigorous. Lio sighs and slides down the door, resting his head on his arms. Galo has trouble sleeping without Lio next to him so it's possible he'll wake up soon, but it's a weird bed, a weird place, who knows how that'll affect his sleeping schedule.

Lio hears the elevator doors ping, and he glances down the hallway. Out walks Aina, Remi, Varys and Lucia, all in various states of inebriation, and Lio buries his head in his hands. Perfect. Just perfect.

******

Work Group Chat (NOT GALO/LIO)

**AINA**

You guys! This worked out so much better than I thought!

**LUCIA**

I cannot believe that you haven't passed out yet, didn't you have like 6 shots?

**VARYS**

I mean, I bet Lio doesn't think it worked out that well, poor guy has to sleep in the hallway

**AINA**

But that means Galo brought someone back to his room! Do you guys think it was that girl who came over and talked to him earlier? He did leave the bar with her. Maybe he's totally over Lio already!

**REMI**

Well either that or he purposefully brought someone back to make Lio jealous. Lio did look pretty pissed off.

**LUCIA**

Yeah you wouldn't look happy either if you had to listen to whatever noises were probably coming from that room earlier in the night and then sleep in the hallway afterwards

**REMI**

Point taken.

**VARYS**

Should we have offered him the floor in our room?

**REMI**

You still can.

**VARYS**

Aww man, I'm already in bed

**REMI**

Fine I'll do it.

**AINA**

Well?

**REMI**

He's not there. And the sock is gone.

**AINA**

Dammit! Did you see who left the room?

**REMI**

No, no one was in the hallway. If you're so curious just ask him about it tomorrow.

**LUCIA**

Oh yeah that's totally appropriate, hey Galo who'd you fuck last night

**AINA**

Lucia, don't be crass

**REMI**

I mean, she does have a point. Now that you've gotten your wish maybe you should just stay out of it.

**AINA**

Okay okay! We're done here. I promise that I won't interfere anymore!

**VARYS**

Why do I have a feeling this isn't the end...

*****

They're the first ones down to the breakfast buffet in the morning, and Lio watches as Galo piles his plate full of almost all of the eggs and bacon that are laid out in the giant warming trays.

"I'm really sorry about last night, babe," Galo says. "I didn't mean for you to get locked out."

"It's okay, Galo, really. I wasn't out there for too long," Lio says, looking down at the sad banana he grabbed from the "fresh" fruit bowl. "I think the crew might have gotten the wrong idea though..."

"Galo!" Aina yells, coming up behind him and grabbing him in a big hug. Galo's mouth is full of bacon and he nearly chokes, and Aina laughs and lets go of him. The others are all in line now to fill up their plates from the breakfast buffet, and Lio can already hear Varys complaining about the lack of food in the warmers.

"Uh, hi," Galo says, giving Aina a polite grin. She's usually pretty peppy in the mornings, but not so much that a giant hug is a usual occurrence for her, and Lio eyes her warily.

"So, how was your night?" Aina asks suggestively. Lio watches as a flush creeps up Galo's face at the question, knows that Galo is remembering all of the filthy things that Lio did to him the night before. He's remembering it too, now, and he's kind of glad the attention isn't on him.

"Um, it was good, I guess?" He sends a pleading look towards Lio but Lio just shrugs. It's a weird question, for sure, but it's also one that's safe for work as long as there are no additional questions.

"Oh my god, is that a hickey?" Aina asks, grabbing Galo's head and pushing it to the side. She's so forceful that for a second Lio's worried she's going to break his neck, but Galo swats her away pretty quickly. Lio noticed the hickey when they left, of course; he's the one who put it there in the first place. It would be easy enough to set the record straight right now, and let Galo just tell everyone who actually did it, but Lio has a better idea, especially given their conversation from last night. It's an idea that might actually make this weekend interesting.

"Yeah Galo," Lio says, biting off the tip of the banana. "Is that a hickey?"

Lio didn't think that Galo could turn any more red, but he does, at Lio's comment. Or maybe it's the way he's eating the banana. He's not sure.

"I don't see how it's anyone's business," Galo says finally, understanding Lio's warning tone easily enough. "Maybe I did this to myself, okay?"

Lio snorts, and Aina sends Galo a slightly confused, slightly grossed out look.

"Listen, you've got nothing to be embarrassed about. We're all glad that you found someone to make you happy!" She shoots a cool glance over at Lio. "Lio, aren't you happy for him?"

"Happy that he was able to somehow give himself a hickey on his own neck?"

"No, that he found someone special to make him happy!"

Oh yes, this was going to be very good.

"Now let's just wait a second, Aina. All we know right now is that Galo has a hickey. You don't know if it was someone special, or, apparently, even a someone at all; it's kind of assuming a lot at this point. So tell us, Galo. _Was_ it someone special? Or did you really do this to yourself?"

Galo is sending Lio an absolutely evil expression that promises that Lio will be paying for this later. But Lio knows he'll play along; he always does.

"Yes," Galo grinds out. "It was someone special, okay? Even though they're also sort of an asshole. Can we drop it?"

Varys sets down a plate on the table, piled almost as high as Galo's is, eggs and bacon and sausages everywhere. All of the yelling must have paid off.

"Hey Galo, is that a hickey?" He asks.

Galo groans and gets up. "Lio, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lio nods and gets up to follow him, feels Aina grab his sleeve.

"Listen, Lio. Don't ruin this for him, okay? You don't...please just don't lead him on anymore. "

"I never make any promises I don't intend to keep," Lio says, hiding his smile, and goes to follow Galo.

*****

Lio turns the corner and finds Galo holding open the door to the hotel's supply closet. Lio, who's up for most anything, gamely follows him inside.

"I never pegged you as a supply closet kind of guy," Lio says, "but I'm willing if you are."

The door closes, plunging the room into blackness with only a tiny sliver of light from a window at the opposite end of the room illuminating the space. Lio only has a second to marvel at the picture it paints, a streak of light slashing across Galo's face, catching his beautiful turquoise eyes before Galo is kissing him, pushing him up against a wire rack filled with cleaning supplies. He breaks away quickly, though, and Lio feels the emptiness of where his body had been just a moment ago like an ache.

"No, wait. That's not why I wanted to see you."

"It's not?" Lio pouts, knowing when he does it that it drives Galo crazy. Galo's face softens, and it looks like he might just kiss him again, but then he stops again and steps backward.

"No. No." He looks like he's trying to convince himself that's what he wanted to say. "No. What is going on? Why didn't you just let me tell them it was you? I thought that was kind of the point."

"It was, before I thought of something better. You know how you were saying last night that you didn't think anyone knew we were together?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm almost certain that you were right. And I think that they're trying to help you out by trying to hook you up with someone else so you forget how you're so obviously, hopelessly in love with me."

Galo smiles languidly at this, and reaches in to kiss Lio again. This time it's slow, and deep, and Lio feels his pulse begin to beat faster as Galo's hands start to move around his body.

"I _am_ hopelessly in love with you," Galo says, when they both have to come up for air. "So they're right about that."

"'Hopelessly' might have been a bad word choice," Lio murmurs.

"So what're we gonna do about this?" Galo asks, his lips pressing light kisses along Lio's jaw.

"I say we play along, see how long it takes them to figure it out," Lio says. "Want me to give you another hickey?"

"Lio, noooo." Galo says. "You know I'm terrible at keeping secrets. If I had known this was a secret I would have blurted it out like a million years ago. The only reason I haven't already is because I figured they already knew!"

"You _are_ pretty bad at lying," Lio admits. "You can't even keep birthday presents a secret."

"Oooh, just wait until you see what I got for--"

"Stop," Lio says, laughing and pushing him away. "Listen. This weekend is going to be a terrible slog of meetings and seminars and forced recreation with coworkers, but it's possible we can glean a little bit of fun out of it if we try hard enough. It might be fun to see how long we can get away with this without them suspecting anything."

"But they already don't suspect anything."

"Well then we'll just have to get creative, won't we?"

Galo considers the implication. "So it's a game?"

Lio smiles. "If you like." He knows that Galo can't resist a challenge, won't back down from a thrown gauntlet. And he knows how much Galo likes playing stupid games with him.

"So the game is?"

"So the game _is_ , no lying about anything. If they ask you a question you have to tell the truth. It's just a matter of what kind of truth you tell them."

Galo considers this for a moment.

"And so the fun part will be that you're going to spend this whole weekend putting me in precarious sexual situations that I have to then _not_ lie about but still not get caught."

Lio reaches up and grabs Galo's shirt, pulls him down into a rough kiss, hard and urgent, and then breaks away just as quickly.

"Well it's not much of a game otherwise, is it? Now. Do you want to get out of this supply closet, or do you want to have to explain how you got another hickey?"

******

Work Group Chat (NOT GALO/LIO)

**VARYS**

Galo's got another hickey! He must have met with his secret friend right after breakfast

**AINA**

WHAT Varys go ask him about it

**VARYS**

Aww come on that's kind of...

**LUCIA**

boundaries

**VARYS**

Yeah man, I got boundaries, and that is crossing it. I feel like we're close, but not taking about hookups close, you know?

**LUCIA**

I feel that way about all of you, if it helps.

**AINA**

Okay I'll talk to Lio, see if he knows anything

**REMI**

Wait, did we find out if Lio was okay with this? I thought we ended on that he was jealous that Galo' s attention is now elsewhere.

**AINA**

No, Lio seemed okay about the whole thing. I think. I don't really know, he's so hard to read. He seemed to be helping me out this morning when I was asking Galo questions about his hickey, even if he was kind of threatening about it

**LUCIA**

You guys are gross

**AINA**

I've got it you guys! Lio must be helping Galo find someone to hook up with. He's probably tired of Galo following him around everywhere, so he's helping Galo set up secret rendezvous, but Galo doesn't want to admit it to us for some reason. We should have included him from the beginning! He probably would have helped us.

**REMI**

I suppose that's a plausible explanation, but again, why should we get involved?

**AINA**

Because we're at a team building seminar, Remi, and we're trying to make our team as good as possible! And if everyone is happy and healthy in their personal relationships it means they work better. Team work makes the dream work.

**REMI**

I really don't think that's what the organizers of this event had in mind.

**AINA**

Okay guys I asked Lio about it. He said that he saw Galo go into a supply closet and when he came out he had another hickey. He didn't see anyone else besides Galo, though.

**VARYS**

So the mystery person is still at large

**LUCIA**

Maybe she's an alligator and that's why Galo won't tell us anything about her

**REMI**

Okay, I'm out. You guys are jerks.

******

Their first seminar is called Backwards Energy Teamwork Overflow and it's just as boring as the name would imply. They're in a big room with about a hundred other people, and by the end of the almost two hours Lio doesn't think there's one person in there who's eyes aren't glazed over with excessive boredom. They're shuffled to a meditation seminar next, where Galo promptly falls asleep and their instructor says that he has the best clear minded head space out of anyone he's ever seen, which makes Lio instantly suspicious of this whole organization. After that they're let loose for lunch with a strict hour time limit, and Lio decides that he needs to do something to get over how mind-numbingly boring this morning has been.

After standing in line for a few minutes to grab a boxed lunch, Lio saunters up to Galo.

"Hey, Galo. It's kind of stuffy in here, want to eat out on the beach?"

Galo's quick to react to the tone of Lio's voice when he asks the question, and he nods in agreement as they both slip out through the pool area of the hotel. By the time they make it out to the beach Galo has already swallowed his entire lunch, and Lio can't help but laugh at how obviously excited he is with whatever it is Lio has planned.

"So did you change your mind about beach sex?" Galo asks.

Lio spares him a pained glance. "Not a chance. However. I did see some changing cabins on the beach when I was out here earlier."

"What's a changing cabin?"

Lio points. They're not too far away now, brightly colored little cabins (except without roofs) that allow for privacy while changing into bathing suits. Or, Lio's hoping, privacy for other activities. There's only a few people wandering the beach right now, none of them swimming, and so they're able to slip into one of the rooms unnoticed. The walls are about seven feet high and the door has a tiny latch on it, which Lio's pleased about. As soon as they slip inside and the door is locked Lio presses Galo against the wall of the tiny cabin, letting all of his frustration from the tediously boring morning slip away as Galo responds to him with force. The open roof lets in the sun, and Lio feels it warm the back of his neck as he lets Galo's hands slip under his clothes.

"I've been dreaming about this all morning," Galo says, hands roaming farther down until Lio feels them cup his ass.

"Dreaming about it while you slept though the meditation seminar?" Lio breathes, shifting to give Galo better access. Galo huffs against his neck, but doesn't answer, and his kiss is hot and deep against Lio's mouth.

Right as Lio's about to move things to the next level, a knock sounds on the door and they both freeze.

"Hey, Galo? Lucia said she saw you and Lio come out this way with your lunch, are you in there?" It's Varys.

Lio puts a finger up to his lips to tell Galo not to answer, but then the door jiggles and catches against the lock.

"Someone is in there, are you okay? Should I get help?" He asks.

"No, I'm fine. I'm in here, I'm okay," Galo says, and Lio suppresses a groan, trying not to move or make any sound. He leans his head against Galo's chest and waits.

"Oh, okay. What are you doing in there?"

"Me?" Galo asks.

"Uh, yeah. What're you doing in the changing room? Are you going swimming?"

"Ummm, I just came out here to think," Lio shakes his head. No one would believe that. But Galo seems like he's committed to this, and he carries on valiantly. "I wanted some privacy, you know. To...uh, think about all of the things we learned this morning. All of the things I was thinking this morning."

"Oh really? Like what?"

"I don't know, Varys, that's why I came out here," Galo says, and Lio's shoulders begin to shake as he tries to hold in his laughter. Galo sends him a cross look and pinches him, and Lio squirms and covers his mouth with his hands.

"Oh, sure. Well, Aina wanted to know if Lio's with you. "

"If Lio's with me?" Galo repeats. Lio knows that he's trying to think of a way to get out of this without lying, and he waits patiently to see what Galo's going to come up with.

"Are you asking me if Lio's here, in this tiny changing room with me, while I'm out here trying to think my thoughts? " Galo asks.

Varys laughs, and Lio feels his breath catch in his throat.

"Yeah, you're right, that would be kind of weird. I'll go look for him inside. Okay, well, enjoy your thinking time. We'll see you in a little bit."

Neither one of them move as they hear Varys' steps fade away, and it's only after about thirty seconds have passed that Lio lets out a shaky breath.

"That was brilliant," Lio says breathlessly. "I think you get the first point in our little game."

"Oh? And what does that get me?" Galo smiles wickedly at him, and Lio returns it tenfold as he sinks down to his knees.

"Let's just say, I think you'll like it."

*****

The next seminar is called "'Oil' Be There For You", which is just a thinly veiled pyramid scheme, and then one more called "Communicative Diseases" which is thankfully about problems with communication within teams and not what Lio thought it was when he first heard about it. After that's over they're free again for the night.

"So? Got any plans for the evening?" Aina asks, waggling her eyebrows suggestively at Galo.

"Actually yes," Galo replies. "I am meeting a special someone in my hotel room in twenty minutes."

"Ooh, sounds fun," Lio says. "Can I come?"

Galo looks perplexed, unsure of how to answer this because Lio _is_ kind of essential to the whole thing, but Aina steps in before he gives everything away.

"Lio, no. Let Galo go have fun on his own, I've actually been meaning to talk to you about some stuff."

"That's fine, but I really needed to go up to the room anyway..." Lio starts.

"It's nothing that can't wait," she says, grabbing Lio's arm. "Galo, go. I'll keep Lio here and keep him entertained. I'll make sure that you have the evening free, I promise you. Go have fun."

This is an unexpected turn in things that Lio didn't really foresee when he suggested playing this little game. Galo shoots Lio an annoyed look and reluctantly heads off upstairs, and Lio lets Aina drag him towards the bar and buy him a drink. It's the least she could do for interrupting his night. Aina has a kind of "big sister" energy that Lio's always been pretty resistant to, having not ever had a sister as well as having a troublesome relationship with family in general, but he tries to be a good coworker to the best of his ability and he also knows that her and Galo are pretty close. So he's not exactly opposed to sitting down and chatting with her so much as he is a little annoyed at the timing of it.

"This is a good thing," Aina tells him once they're settled in a quieter part of the hotel lounge. "I know that you and Galo are friends, but you have to know that he's been wanting more than that from you for a while now."

"Oh, I know," Lio says, sipping at his drink.

"And I don't think you can be rightly jealous that he's found someone now."

"I promise you I am not jealous."

"Well, it doesn't seem like that sometimes. Listen," she says, sitting forward. "I don't want to talk about this all night, so I'm just going to say my piece and let it go, and I mean it. I know that you might think you know Galo pretty well, but I've known him longer and I just want you to know this. When he gives his heart to someone it is absolute. There is no hesitancy. There is no doubt. And there are people out there who might take advantage of that kind of selfless giving."

Lio feels his anger rise at the implication, and he opens his mouth to protest, but Aina puts up a hand.

"No, I didn't mean it like that, don't get mad. I don't think you'd hurt him, not on purpose. All I'm saying is, Galo puts his heart out there and sometimes it's easy to step on it without really noticing that that's what you're doing," Aina continues. "And he's not that experienced with dating. I know that you're not intentionally leading him on, but...but I'm not sure he knows that."

"So you all think that's what's happening?" Lio asks. "I'm just leading him on?"

"Not intentionally," she repeats. "But...I mean, you guys are together all the time, and you don't seem interested in him at all like that, and...he's a dog, right? And you're a cat person. And that's okay, it takes all kinds, I just...we all just want everyone to be happy."

"And if Galo's happy with me?"

"Galo _is_ happy with you. I just don't think that you're happy with him."

That rocks Lio back a bit. Galo's honestly the best thing that ever happened to him, and he loves him more than anyone else in the world. He's never as happy as he is when he gets to be around Galo, whether that's at home, at work, or anywhere, really. Is that really how everyone else saw their relationship? Lio always tries to be professional at work and around his coworkers and he figures he is doing that by keeping his personal life to himself, even if that means distancing himself from Galo when they are in public just to keep those boundaries in check. But...was that not the right call?

And Aina's right; Galo does wear his heart on his sleeve. No one really questions the fact that Galo likes Lio, they just question that Lio likes him back. Lio feels his heart squeeze, realizes that by distancing himself like he's been doing that he's only hurt himself--and maybe Galo. And that he cannot abide.

Aina shakes her head, downs the rest of her glass in one gulp, and motions to the bartender for another.

"Okay, I said my piece and I'm done talking about it, I swear." She lets the waiter put down two glasses in front of them, and Lio eyes her a little warily. Was she trying to get him drunk?

"Now, Lio Fotia. I want to hear absolutely everything about your life. First up--do you have any sisters?"

*****

Lio and Aina stumble up to their floor an hour or so and three or four drinks later. He hasn't had enough that the walls are moving on their own, so he knows he'll be okay later, but he's had enough that he actually forgave Aina from ruining his night with Galo about two drinks ago. When the elevator doors open, Lio's surprised to see Galo, Remi, Varys and Lucia all sitting in the hall with cards pressed up against their foreheads.

"What're you guys doing?" Aina asks them.

"It's called Blind Man's Bluff," Lucia says, staring intently at the other cards. "Galo's really bad at it."

"And you're only good at it because you've been counting cards," Remi says, dealing out some cards on the floor of the hallway.

"What happened to Galo's hot date?"

Galo shrugs, grinning at the two of them as they sway down the hallway. "I figured this would be more fun, considering."

"Considering what?"

"Considering I'd rather spend it with you." He looks at Lio when he says this, and Lio feels himself blush, unable to hide it with the alcohol inhibiting his usual control. "With all of you." He clarifies, a second later.

"Well, as much as I'd love to watch you guys take all of Galo's money," Lio says, gesturing towards the pile of coins that are sitting in front of Lucia, "I think I need to go lie down for a while."

"I'll help." Galo jumps up, and Lio feels himself passed from Aina to Galo (had he been leaning on her? Maybe he was more drunk than he thought) and watches as Galo opens the door to their hotel room, which he gets right on the first try this time.

"I'm not going to let you take advantage of me while I'm inebriated," Lio says, and he hears the others in the hallway chuckle.

"I think if you can successfully say 'inebriated' without slurring it you're not that drunk," Galo says good naturedly. "Lucia, you can keep the change."

"I was planning on it, Thymos."

Lio hears the door close behind him, feels Galo's hands leading him to the bed.

"I'm sorry, Galo," he murmurs as Galo undresses him. Galo's not being frisky, he's just taking care of Lio in that way he does whenever Lio needs help and is drunk or tired enough to let someone else help him.

"Sorry for what, babe?"

_I just don't think that you're happy with him._

"I'm just...sorry," Lio says, and collapses onto the bed. He is distantly aware of Galo pushing him around, still trying to get him ready for bed, and he can't help but smile even though his heart is still heavy from tonight. Eventually Galo manages to get Lio dressed in one of his giant shirts, one of Galo's favorites, and the last thing Lio remembers before falling asleep is the feeling of Galo planting the lightest kiss on his forehead before tucking in next to him, arms wrapped around him tightly, mumbling how much he loves him before he, too, falls fast asleep.

*****

Work Group Chat (NOT GALO/LIO)

**REMI**

You know the weird thing about tonight?

**AINA**

What?

**REMI**

Galo said he had a hot date earlier, but no one ever showed up and he didn't take out his phone all night. I think he got stood up.

**LUCIA**

Well, if that's true he certainly didn't seem too upset, especially once he got to take a drunk Lio back to his room

**VARYS**

He didn't seem too upset about you stealing all his money either

**LUCIA**

It was all above board

**REMI**

I don't think illegal gambling on hotel property is above board.

**LUCIA**

Hey, you were playing too, don't pretend like you're all high and mighty

**AINA**

Don't you guys want to know how my night with Lio went?

**REMI**

Not really

**VARYS**

Yes

**AINA**

I told him about how it's not fair that he's been leading Galo on for so long, and he seemed to take it pretty well. I told him about Galo being a dog and him being a cat and...I really don't know how to explain it. He seemed like he understood what I was trying to tell him, I think. I dunno, he just seemed...different, after. He kind of even opened up to me, told me about his family. I dunno, it was weird. But good.

**LUCIA**

fascinating stuff

**AINA**

Come on! It's hard to explain. Anyway, I decided I'm done meddling. In everything.

**REMI**

Really? This, after everything you've put us through this weekend?

**AINA**

I don't know, I think I was doing it for the wrong reasons. Or something. I just don't want to meddle anymore. I just want everyone to be happy.

**LUCIA**

You know by texting this we now have proof, you won't be able to take this back once you sober up.

**AINA**

If that makes you happy Lucia then I'm all for it. And hey--if Remi's happy with his alligator girlfriend then we should just be happy for him too

**REMI HAS LEFT THE CHAT**

******

"You're quiet this morning," Galo says, brushing Lio's hair from his face. They're in the elevator but it's just the two of them, for now. "Drink too much last night?"

"No. I'm just thinking."

"That's not good."

Lio laughs, despite his mood. "Probably not. I had a good talk with Aina last night, though."

"Oh?" Galo says, cocking an eyebrow. "Really? Was it more fun than coming back to the hotel room with me?"

Lio laughs again, feels his mood begin to lift. Galo's usually pretty good at getting him out of his funks.

"I can't think of anything that would be as good as that. But I...realized some things, last night. And she helped me to see...well. I'm still thinking about it."

"I've heard there's a good cabin out on the beach that's good for thinking, if you want to use it," Galo teases. He doesn't press him, though, and Lio's grateful for that. Galo knows that Lio needs space to think things out, to get his thoughts together, and so they go down and eat breakfast with the rest of their crew. Lio lets the chatter of the others wash over him.

_I just don't think that you're happy with him._

Their last seminar of the weekend is one called "'I Like' This Team", and by now everyone is wary enough of questionable apostraphes that they're not really sure what they're about to get into. They're all divided into groups and each group is given a mentor. Burning Rescue 3 is led by a woman in her early thirties with purple dreadlocks and crystals hanging from every conceivable place on her body. Lio has a bad feeling about this.

"Welcome!" The woman says, after settling them all in a semi-circle around her. "My name is Moonbeam, and I'm going to be your spiritual guide on this journey of learning your true feelings. This is the last seminar of your weekend, and it's probably the most important. Do you know why?"

"Because when it's done we get to spend the rest of the day on the beach?" Varys answers.

"No!" She says, disapproval in her tone, "It's the most important because if your team doesn't know how much you all value each other, the team can't work together. Now. Here's how this is going to go."

The concept is simple--everyone goes around and says something they like about the person to the right of them, and then they reverse, and have to say something they like about the person to the left. And while the concept may be simple, the execution of it is a little more difficult. Moonbeam, for all of her hippy exterior, has a lot of rules about what they can and cannot like about each other. No comments about appearance. No comments about physical capabilities. No comments about astrological signs (although no one had brought that up except her). No comments that could potentially hurt another person's feelings.

They spend a good long while trading polite comments with each other as Moonbeam gets more and more annoyed with them. After what was apparently a very bad comment--Remi told Lio how much he liked the way that his paperwork was always done on time--Moonbeam stops them.

"There is some bad energy in this group," she says, walking around and staring each one of them in the eye. When she gets to Lio, she holds up one of her crystals to him and glares at him through it for a second before continuing on. "Bad energy. This is going to be more work than I thought."

"We've said a bunch of nice things about each other," Aina whines, and points to some of the other groups that have already being dismissed. "What more do you want?"

"I want you to be honest! I want you to be sincere! Many of you here are not any of those things." She puts her fingers on Varys' head, and his eyes go wide. Lio thinks that it looks like she's funneling his life energy out through her fingers, but she eventually lets go and Varys doesn't collapse onto the floor, which he supposes is a good indication that that's not what was happening.

"Okay. I need a volunteer. Someone who is ready to open themselves up to their coworkers and let all of their truth come out. Come on. I'm not letting you go until this happens."

The crew watches in silence as more groups get up and leave, the excitement of the others, the ones who have won their freedom, clear on their faces. Out there is the beach, the sun, the sand, freedom--

"I'll do it," says Lio.

The rest of the crew (as well as Moonbeam) looks at Lio in surprise. Lio knows that everyone probably expected Aina or Galo to cave first, but as he stands up and faces his crew he knows that this was the right call. He has to do this--he wants to do this, for everyone. For Galo. For himself. He clears his throat, and starts at the begging of their circle.

"Lucia, I like that you're the goddamn craziest person I've ever known," Lio says. Moonbeam looks like she's going to interupt but Lio puts up a hand to silence her, and she steps back. "And we wouldn't be half as good as we are without your genius ideas. You're probably the smartest person in this entire hotel, and I'm glad you're on our team."

"Varys, you're the strongest guy here. You're even stronger than Galo, and that's saying something. But the thing I like about you is that you're also the kindest. I saw you feeding those kittens out back last week, I know you've been finding them homes when you're off the clock, and you haven't told anyone about it or tried to guilt us into taking them or anything. You've got a strong heart, which keeps the rest of us beating. "

"Remi, I like how professional you are. I respect that, a lot, actually, and since I know _how_ professional you are I also know that you'd prefer if I just left it at that, so I will. I'm glad you're on our team and that there's another sensible person to rein in the rest of the crazies. "

"Aina, I like how caring you are. You really do care deeply about everyone who works here, you treat them like family, and I know that you want the best for all of us. Even when you butt in to people's personal space you do it from a place of love, and that's really nice."

Lio smiles, aware that everyone is staring at him with huge eyes, mouths open. Moonbeam is giving him a look that's somewhere between horrified and kind of intrigued. He's probably never said this many words to any of them in the entire time they've worked together, and for it to be as mushy as this...well, they shouldn't get used to it, necessarily, but he's glad he's doing it.

"And Galo." He can't help the warm, flushed feeling he gets just from looking at Galo, or from the way Galo smiles back at him, and instead of fighting it he just lets it suffuse through him, touching every part of him. "Galo, I just like everything about you. I like how strong you are. I like how stubborn you get when you think you're doing the right thing. I like how you always have to help everyone, all the time, even if it means taking away something from yourself."

He pauses as Galo gets up, called forward by the tone of Lio's voice, and waits as he comes over to stand in front of him, his eyes searching Lio's face.

"I like how soft you are when you think no one else is looking," Lio says, voice quiet.

"I like how hard you fight for others who can't fight for themselves," Galo says, stepping closer.

"I like how you're always willing to play dumb games with me."

"I like how you look at me whenever I'm not wearing a shirt, and how you think you're getting away with it," Galo says, and he steps in close enough now that Lio loops his arms around his neck, and he feels Galo's arms slide around his waist possessively in response.

"I like how you take care of me when I let you. Which isn't often, but I do like it."

"I like how you call me sweetheart whenever you get angry at me."

"I knew it," Lio says, smiling. He can see the rest of the crew starting at them, feels the weight of their collective gazes, but he can't stop himself now. He finds, with a little thrill, that he doesn't want to stop.

"I like you, Galo Thymos."

"I like you too, Lio Fotia."

Lio reaches up, closing the distance between them, and kisses him. Galo pulls him in tight, returning the kiss with his usual enthusiasm, and Lio lets himself sink into Galo's wamrth before remembering that they're standing in the middle of a conference room, surrounded by their coworkers and one pretty pissed off spiritual guide, and that maybe he should back off a little. Baby steps. He breaks away and peers over at the crew, who are all staring at them with varying degrees of surprise. It's silent for a moment, and all Lio can concentrate on right now is how good Galo's hands feel on his hips.

"Well I don't think anyone's going to top that," Remi says finally, and stands up. "I think we're done here. Moonbeam, uh, thank you for your service, I guess. Come on guys, it's beach time."

*****

The six of them are sitting on the beach, huddled around a small (fire marshall approved) bonfire. Galo's got an arm draped around Lio's shoulders, and for the first time in front of his coworkers Lio allows himself to lean into the touch. When the others are busy talking, he'll sometimes reach up and steal a kiss. Galo's over the moon with the extra attention, and Lio wonders why they didn't do this sooner. Why _he_ didn't do this sooner.

"I can't believe that all it took for you two crazy kids to get together was some smarmy team building seminar to make you realize your true feelings for each other." Aina says dreamily.

"Uhh," says Galo.

"Actually..." says Lio.

"Wait a second, what about your 'special someone'?" Lucia asks Galo. "You had someone over that night that Lio was locked out of your room, right? What about them?"

"Well, you see..." Galo starts.

"It doesn't matter, Lucia," says Aina, annoyed. "It was obviously just a ploy to make Lio jealous."

"I told you, I'm not jealous," Lio replies.

"So we talked about Galo's hickeys all day for nothing?" Lucia whines.

"You did what?" Galo asks.

"Maybe it was Aina's meddling that did it," Remi says,and looks at Lio. "Didn't she tell you to stop leading Galo on? It looks like it worked. Hey Aina, congrats."

"I wasn't leading Galo on," Lio says.

"Thanks!" Says Aina.

"Wait a second, what were you doing in that changing room again?" Varys asks.

"Uhhh...."

"Okay, stop!" Lio says, laughing. He reaches up and grabs Galo's hand, entertwining their fingers, and Galo squeezes his hand back in approval. "There's something we should probably tell you guys. We didn't hook up this weekend."

"Well--" Galo starts.

"I mean, we didn't _just_ hook up this weekend," Lio corrects. "We've actually been together for a while. It's not that we were trying to keep it a secret, it's just that...well, no one ever really noticed, I guess. And I'm apparently someone who plays things pretty close to the vest."

Lucia snorts.

"So what, you guys have actually been together for a few weeks?" Varys asks.

"Without us noticing?" Remi asks. "That doesn't seem likely."

"I would have noticed." Aina says. "I can always tell. It was after you guys got stuck in that cave, wasn't it?"

"Uh, no. This is, what. June?" Lio says, and feels Galo nod beside him. "So, we've been together since last September."

The bonfire gives a great crackling pop to fill the silence that greets this declaration, before the entire group explodes into chaos.

"September? Since fucking September?"

"You're not serious."

"I knew it. I just knew that something was up between them."

"Wait, so does that mean Galo cheated?"

"You did not, you would have rubbed it in all of our faces if you knew."

"But if he didn't cheat, who gave him the--oh wait, I get it now, gross."

Lio smiles as the rest of the crew bickers good naturedly over this, and while they're distracted he reaches up and plants another kiss on Galo's lips.

"Are you okay with this?" Galo murmurs in his ear. "With all this? I know you like your privacy."

"I like you more," Lio says, mostly to watch Galo blush, which he does. "And...I dunno. I don't think it's about privacy. Meis and Gueira have known forever, and I didn't really mind that at all. I think it was just more...I just don't think I trusted them, to be honest." Lio feels his face flush as he admits this to Galo, and feels Galo squeeze him a little tighter in response, urging him on. "I...think I'm a little slow to trust other people."

Galo laughs. "No kidding. And now?"

"And now the cat's out of the bag," he says, "and there's no stuffing it back in. But that's okay, I think. I do trust them. I have for a while, I think. It just took me a lot longer to realize it than it should." Galo huffs at this and drags him into his lap, wrapping both of his arms around Lio's chest. He rests his chin on the top of Lio's head and Lio settles back, watching the entertainment.

While everyone is still arguing Remi gets a phone call, which he has to take a good distance away from them due to the loudness of everyone assembled.

"So wait," Aina is saying, the debate amongst them having settled down. "During that time in the cave, when we were all worried about Lio murdering you..."

"Lio would never murder me," Galo says, squeezing him, and Aina lets out a little 'aww'. "Although he did tell me that in some places it's called the little death, so I guess in a way --"

Lio brings up a hand to stop Galo's mouth as the crew explodes again, and Lio can feel Galo's chest shaking as he tries to suppress his laughter.

"Galo Thymos there's trust, and then there's oversharing. We're going to need to talk about boundaries, later," Lio says, trying to sound annoyed, but judging by Galo's smile it wasn't entirely successful. They all quiet down again as Remi walks back over, his face drawn tight.

"That was the chief. He had two things to say. I don't know if you'll like either one."

"What's the first?" Lucia asks.

"The first thing he asked was if those dummies had come clean yet. That's a direct quote, but the way."

"You guys told the chief and not us?" Varys asks, looking hurt.

But Lio's just as confused as anyone. "I didn't tell him. Galo?"

Galo shakes his head. Remi pushes up his glasses.

"Well, he said to tell you guys that it's been almost a year and if you hadn't already spilled the beans you needed to do it now. So. First order of duty already completed. Barely."

"Ignis knows everything," Galo whispers into Lio's ear. "Do you think he knows about that stapler I took? It was an accident, I swear!"

"And the second thing?" Aina asks.

Remi sighs dramatically. "The second thing is that the organization who ran this team building seminar has been exposed as a fraud and they have no accreditation. Which means that sometime in the next six months we're going to have to attend another one of these things. A real one, this time."

For the third time this night the crew explodes into yelling, all except Lio, who only chuckles and leans back against Galo. He watches contentedly as everyone yells, not at each other, necessarily, mostly just at the universe and the unfairness of it all.

"Aren't you pissed?" Galo asks him. "You didn't even want to be here in the first place."

"I'm generally coming around to these kind of things," Lio says, smiling up at him. "As long as it's with you. And the crew, I guess."

"It'll be harder to play this game next time," Galo murmurs.

"We'll just have to come up with something else, then," Lio says, and then nuzzles back up against his boyfriend as he watches the rest of the crew fight and bicker and laugh around their bonfire.

*****

Work Group Chat

**AINA**

Hey, are you guys all ready to check out yet?

**REMI**

My bags are already in the car, where is everyone else?

**LUCIA**

Wait, is that today?

**GALO**

I'm missing a sock, have you guys seen it?

**AINA**

Very funny, Lucia, I have your tablet so you'd better get down here right now

**LUCIA**

Fiend!

**LIO**

I have your sock, dummy, it's in my bag.

**GALO**

Aww thanks babe, you're the best. I miss you.

**LIO**

You're sitting right next to me. You're texting right now, I am literally watching you type.

**AINA**

I regret everything that has led up to this moment right now.

**GALO**

aww you don't mean that. We're adorable.

**VARYS**

This party is headed back to Promepolis! Anyone not in the van in the next 30 seconds is getting left behind.

**REMI**

You mean left behind on this beautiful tropical island? Is that supposed to be a threat?

**LUCIA**

It sounds like a threat to me, I'm ready to be back home with my robots and my tools. And Vinny. Hey, don't you guys think Vinny should have come with us?

**AINA**

Well I guess we'll have another chance to bring him along next time.

**REMI**

Don't remind me.

**GALO**

I dunno, I thought it was a pretty good trip.

**REMI**

uh huh

**GALO**

Come on guys! We all got to hang out on the beach. We got to play card games, and lose all of our money to Lucia. We got to spend the whole weekend on a tropical island! And we'll be better than ever when we get back because of it. Ready to fight fires with all of our souls in harmony!

**AINA**

wow, well said Galo. That was pretty insightful.

**GALO**

Plus I got to make out with my boyfriend! Like a lot!

**LIO**

Oh my god you absolute idiot.

**REMI**

At least the good thing about all this is now we can make Lio deal with all of Galo's dumbness and not feel bad about it.

**VARYS**

Very true, I am going to take advantage of that for sure.

**LUCIA**

I never felt bad about it

**LIO**

It's okay, I deserve that.

**AINA**

Alright guys, we're all here! Next stop: home!


End file.
